


Avatar: Legacy of the Past - Book 3: Origins

by Lightning189



Series: Avatar: Legacy of the Past [3]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Adventure, Airbending & Airbenders, Alternate Universe - Avatar & Benders Setting, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Earth Kingdom (Avatar), Earthbending & Earthbenders, F/M, Fire Nation (Avatar), Fire Nation Royal Family, Firebending & Firebenders, Northern Water Tribe, Republic City, Southern Water Tribe, Spirit World (Avatar), Spiritbending & Spiritbenders (Avatar), Waterbending & Waterbenders
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-06
Updated: 2020-12-06
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:33:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 49,868
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27921574
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lightning189/pseuds/Lightning189
Summary: The Avatar Spirit is severed, and the connection to the past lives has been temporarily broken, but The Spirit of Order tells the Avatar the tale of the First.Kang ventures back to the Physical World, returning home to face his past.The Would-Be Defenders of Republic City recover within The Derelict Estate whilst Khana and Sky tell their stories to kill time.The Chaos surges around the Four Nations, whilst the heroes of this tale prepared to face its source. (Book 3/4)
Series: Avatar: Legacy of the Past [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2044300
Collections: Avatar: The Last Airbender





	1. The Forgotten Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Claire awakens within an unfamiliar space, discovering the Spirit of Order: Vaatu, who tells her the tale of the beginning, and the first Avatar.

Claire awoke to find herself laid down in a vast space, staring into an endless dimension of empty sky. All the previous Avatars stood before her as she stood up, all staring, stood still like statues, their eyes and tattoos glowing with a brilliant light. Claire observed the Avatars, inching towards them before coming face-to-face with the Avatar who stood in front of them all: Aang.

"Aang?" Claire softly greeted him, waving her hand across his field of vision, but despite her attempts to interact with the Avatars, none responded. They simply gazed into the vast nothingness.

Claire backed away from the Avatars, looking around, searching for a way out, but as the Avatar ventured she found herself back where she began, The Avatars still stood like statues.

"Avatar," A voice whispered as Claire frightfully twisted around, observing her surroundings, before returning her gaze to the Avatars, giving a disapproving stare to Aang.

"Hilarious! Pretending you can't hear me to scare me?" Claire obliviously deduced, but the past life remained still and silent.

"They can't hear you!" The voice whispered once more as Claire jumped back. Not seeing any mouths move, she looked around frantically for the source of the voice.

"Who's there!?" Claire called out, her voice reverberating into the emptiness, her body quaking shook all over until a White Spiritual Sphere appeared over her shoulder.

"Behind you!" It whispered, to which Claire immediately twisted around, attempting to punch out a plume of flame, but nothing happened as The White Spiritual Sphere slowly hovered in front of her as Claire steadily dropped her guard.

"What are you?" Claire cautiously asked, watching the White Spiritual sphere hover silently.

"I am Vaatu. The Spirit of Order!" Vaatu told her, but Claire blankly stared at him, her eyes quizzically slanting.

"You're... a Sphere?" Claire asked, her voice riddled with confusion as Vaatu curiously looked at himself.

"Oh, I forgot to change forms! Silly me!" Vaatu spoke in a friendly voice as his shape transformed into a humanoid figure, his head resembled a helmet with small angelic wings protruding from the top and his eyes an empty black.   
Black markings coursed over his white torso. His shoulders pointed out like pauldrons, his arms looked like large gauntlets with a black jewel adorning each and his legs resemble thigh-high metal boots.

"Better?" Vaatu asked as questions flooded the befuddled Avatar's mind.

"You're a shape-shifting spirit?" Claire curiously asked.

"I'm a Spirit made up of Cosmic energy! Of course, I can change forms! I've got plenty of others too!" Vaatu explained.

"I can be a humanoid as you see now, or I can be a sphere or a cat!" Vaatu spoke as he transformed into a white and black cat.

"Or a Kite!" Vaatu spoke as he turned into a flat Diamond shape with a long tail and tendrils hanging from his sides, The form took aback Claire, leaving her utterly speechless.

"I... think I preferred the Humanoid form," Claire nervously replied

"Most Avatars do. But I have more!" Vaatu spoke as he began changing form once more.

"I can be a Platypus Bear!" Vaatu told her as he changed into a White Platypus Bear.

"And my favourite!" Vaatu continued as a black fedora style hat appeared on top of his head.

"Perry the Platypus Bear!" Vaatu enthusiastically spoke whilst the bewildered Claire blinked at the Spirit of Order.

"For a Spirit of Order, you are a lot different from what I expected," the unsure Avatar Claire replied.

"Well, Fifty-Thousand years and living in over a thousand humans will do that!" Vaatu spoke as he returned to his humanoid form whilst Claire's eyes widened.

"Do you by any chance... know what's going on?" Claire curiously asked as she and the Spirit of Order sat down.

"Currently, we are inside your mind. As for the Avatars behind you: the Separation of the 'Avatar Spirit' has temporarily severed your connection with your past lives," Vaatu explained as Claire's heart sunk, her head shamefully dropping.

"I... failed as the Avatar, didn't I?" Claire asked as despair settled in, but Vaatu raised a befuddled Spiritual eyebrow.

"You made a mistake trusting that man, but you haven't failed. His actions fractured the Avatar Cycle, but we can restore it!" Vaatu explained as Claire's head perked up.

"All we need to do to restore it is to obtain My twin: Raava, The Spirit of Chaos!" Vaatu continued explaining as Claire scoffed and shook her head.

"Easier said than done..." Claire replied in a disheartened tone as Vaatu let out a sigh, gazing Claire's slumped spirit.

"You aren't the first Avatar to be without both the Order and Chaos Spirits," Vaatu bluntly spoke as the Avatar Curiously looked up at Vaatu.

"Who else has been in my situation of just having one part of the Avatar Spirit?" Claire asked, hope booming in her as Vaatu perched himself and Claire upon chairs forged from Cosmic Energy.

"Would you like the long version or the short version?" Vaatu asked.

"Full Story!" Claire quickly replied as Vaatu took in a deep breath before he began his tale.

"Sixty-Thousand years ago, what we Spirits call the 'Primordial Lion Turtles': four beings who existed since the beginning, forged the Four Nations, becoming the Earthen Lands, now referred to as the Earth Kingdom, the Fire Nation, the North Pole, and the South pole," Vaatu began telling the story.

"Wait... 'becoming'? As in they're...?" Claire asked, raising a befuddled eyebrow.

"The four Primordial Lion Turtles are the Four Nations," Vaatu told her as Claire sat flabbergasted.

"How... does that even work geographically?" Claire asked in disbelieve.

"The bodies of the Primordial Lion Turtles exist deep beneath the surface of the mortal world. Over time, the four nations changed, expanded, becoming much different from what they were all those years ago," Vaatu explained as Claire slowly nodded until a question came to her mind.

"The Earth Kingdom's huge... so that means the Primordial Lion Turtle underneath it must be..." Claire began theorising with her new information.

"Very. Very. Big. It dwarfed the other three Primordial Lion Turtles!" Vaatu finished Claire's theory as the Avatar wondrously looked on.

"Alright, continue your story," Claire replied after she finished thinking to herself.

"After they forged the Nations on their backs, life bloomed atop the Primordial Lion Turtles, Spirits came into being first, most notably Tui and La, the Spirits of the Moon and Ocean. As well as The Mother of Faces. Next came the animals such as The Dragons, The Badger Moles, and the Sky Bison. These creatures all had an innate connection to one of the four elements, and in time they became their first practitioners of bending," Vaatu explained as Claire quizzically looked at the Spirit of Order.

"Wait, so Spirits lived on the Mortal world too? When did the Spirit world come into being then?" Claire curiously asked as Vaatu raised his hand.

"That comes later, young Avatar!" Vaatu told her as she lightly slumped, allowing Vaatu to continue.

"A thousand years passed, and an anomaly was born into the world, a creature not like the spirits but also unlike the animals: Humans. Beings of high intellectual thought, higher than what the Spirits and Animals were capable of, and a bizarre connection to the four elements. This unnerved the Primordial Lion Turtles," Vaatu explained.

"On the day after the birth of Humans, the Primordial Lion Turtles combined their energies, bending it and forging two new beings: Raava, and myself," Vaatu explained.

"So you two are like... Spirits of the planet?" Claire curiously asked as Vaatu shrugged.

"In a sense, we are," Vaatu nonchalantly replied

"The Primordial Lion Turtles tasked us to maintain the balance in the world, I was to bring order where Chaos ran amok, and Raava was to bring Chaos where Order clutched too tightly," Vaatu continued explaining, as the Avatar raised an uncertain eyebrow.

"Here I thought Raava was going to be... evil or something," Claire obliviously replied as Vaatu let out a quick sigh.

"Raava is not evil, nor am I good. We are simply spirits tasked with keeping the world in balance," Vaatu sombrely replied.

"The lands became divided, Humans separated themselves from Spirits, and we observed the evolution of the humans, some built villages and palaces outside of what used to be the Spiritual lands. But some humans rejected the segregation, choosing to live amongst the Spirits and travelling between the spiritual lands. We referred to these humans as the Spirit Nomads," Vaatu continued his story.

"Spirit Nomads? So they were like the Air Nomads?" Claire curiously asked as Vaatu smiled.

"The Spirit Nomads communed with the Sky Bison, becoming close companions with one another, and in time the Sky Bisons shared their knowledge of Air-bending, and the Spirit Nomads became the First Human Air-Benders," Vaatu explained as Claire's eyes widened.

"You're saying non-benders can learn to bend?" Claire shockingly asked.

"As I said, all humans have an innate ability to bend the elements. However, the past is permanent, history is not," Vaatu sombrely spoke.

"The people of the Fire Nation were the next to learn: The Dragons trained those they deemed worthy whilst scorching the ones they deemed unworthy until the chosen of the Dragon's power became the First Human Fire-benders: The Sun Warriors," Vaatu continued his story.

"The people of the North Pole were the next to learn, but their teacher was the hardest to work with: The Moon," Vaatu began explaining.

"I've heard about that: they learnt to push and pull the water like The moon did until they learned how to bend the water to their will, becoming the first Water-Benders!" Claire told him in a fit of enthusiasm as Vaatu paused.

"Well, good to know you already know part of the story," Vaatu replied before he continued.

"And finally, two lovers of the Earthen Lands learnt how to earth-bend from the Badger-moles, enticing them with songs of their love. Oma and Shu's love was powerful, and so they used it to carve out elaborate tunnels, in order for them to still be together despite their warring villages," Vaatu told the story.

"Huh, I had a Fire-bending master called Shu," Claire replied.

"Riveting," Vaatu bluntly responded, taking aback Claire as she remained quiet.

"However, with the humans' newfound powers, Raava expected Chaos to run amok... preparing to enjoy the show. But aside from small skirmishes between villages, there was peace among the world," Vaatu explained further.

"I can hear a 'but' coming," Claire replied as she continued listening.

"But Raava couldn't stand it, seeing peace and order among the world not clutching too tightly for her to do anything about it drove her wild, despite my attempts to calm her," Vaatu spoke in a sombre tone.

"She first attacked the home of the Dragons and Sun Warriors, wreaking havoc and death wherever she went. However, I intercepted her, demanding to know what she was doing, to which she simply said: 'Whatever I want'... and that was when I realised, Raava and I had been doing the same dance for years, she desired freedom, but was going too far. I couldn't allow her to destroy the peace of the world, so after stopping her attack on the dragons, I devised a plan with the help of the Spirit Nomads to seal her away, permanently!" Vaatu explained as Claire gazed in awe.

"But you were both needed to keep balance... if you sealed away Raava, you would never attain balance in the world," Claire quizzically spoke.

"I knew our task, but seeing Raava tarnish the Order and Peace of the world, I forsook my task and took up a new task of protecting what I loved," Vaatu sombrely replied.

"Raava next attacked the land of the Badger-moles, then the opposing Water Tribes. Next, she struck the Sky Bison and Spirit Nomads, and finally the Lion Turtle colonies. But our plan was complete, an impenetrable Sarcophagus, the perfect tool to seal away Raava. But I knew I couldn't just put her in there... I needed to fight," Vaatu ecstatically continued the story.

"I encountered Raava, and in a way, she knew why I was there. We spoke no words. For we both knew we could not kill one another, for a piece of me existed in her, and a piece of her in myself. So it would be a battle of will," Vaatu told her.

"Our battle began, the world shook as we collided, awakening the Primordial Lion Turtles, but they did not stop us. Raava and I battled for forty days and forty nights, our powers waning with each passing day until we decided to truly settle the matter. An Inky black aura shrouded Raava as a Brilliant white aura shrouded me, our powers grew to further heights, and when we collided, the world split in two, Humans remained in the Mortal World, Spirit banished to the Spirit World. And as the battle silenced... I fell, Raava had won, and she sealed me away within the Sarcophagus, banished to the Spirit World alongside the other spirits... The Era of Raava had begun..." Vaatu spoke, sorrow echoing in his tone.

"What happened next? Did anyone come for you?" Claire curiously asked.

"Nobody came, but I never expected them to. I failed my duty to the world. Nine Thousand years passed inside that Sarcophagus, Raava had made the Mortal and Spirit Worlds her own. Chaos ruled on for what felt like an eternity to the humans and Spirits... but then one day... the Sarcophagus opened!" Vaatu warmly spoke as the memory filled his mind.

"Who opened it?" Claire curiously asked as she leant forward.

"Kaishi, the Avatar to-be" Vaatu replied with a smile


	2. The Forgotten Journey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vaatu continues the tale of the First Avatar, how he came to wield the Four elements, and how he became the first.

Chaos engulfed the world during Vaatu's imprisonment. For Nine Thousand years, all the world knew was chaos and misery, the true colour of the sky forgotten by the masses, the sun shined, but only through the hazy black aura which cloaked the world. But in the Fire Nation existed a warrior and his Fire-bending friend. Kaishi a man with a black vest which covered his torso underneath a dark red trench coat with gold lines streaming down the arms, dark brown knee-high boots, and black baggy pants adorned his lower body. His hair styled into a topknot, and sideburns draped down the sides of his face and his eyes Amber. Lee, a bald amber-eyed man adorned with a Dark red vest with a gold lining and black arm-guards. Murky brown pants and leather boots adorned his lower body. Although these two were born into the World of Chaos, they remained hopeful that they would one day change it back to how it was before Raava's reign.

Kaishi walked to the centre of his village with his friend Lee in tow as the confident Warrior held his Dao Sword whilst marching, whereas Lee nervously followed behind.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Lee asked Kaishi, questioning his motives and his overall plan.

"We both swore to change this world when we were young, and today, we're finally going to come through on that promise!" Kaishi adamantly replied as they reached the centre of their village.

People gathered around in curious wonder as Kaishi and Lee observed their growing crowd, and within the crowd: Kaishi witnessed a woman with flowing black hair and piercing gold eyes adorned in a Dark red dress, a woman Kaishi had an infatuation for since he was young, and as the enchanted warrior stared, Lee, twigged Kaishi's motives, glaring at his friend but keeping his protestations to himself.

"Everyone! Today, my friend Lee and I will journey to the Heart of Chaos to topple Raava's reign over our world!" Kaishi announced, to which a group of people laughed at him.

"You may as well just kill yourselves now to save the trip!" A man in the crowd shouted to them, to which Kaishi grimaced, facing the man and raising his Dao sword to him.

"We might die, but at least we'll die trying to change this world rather than wasting away in it!" Kaishi retorted, the group scoffing whilst people of the village tried to discourage them, but despite that Kaishi and Lee left the village, journeying across the Fire Nation, onto the ocean and then into the Earthen Lands gazing at the gigantic Crystal sphere which loomed over what would later become Ba Sing Se. Kaishi grinned whilst Lee nervously looked to his friend and the Crystal Sphere.

"This is it, Lee. The Heart of Chaos!" Kaishi proclaimed as he began marching towards it, however, Lee stood still, gazing at the Heart of Chaos, and Kaishi turned to see his fear-stricken friend.

"I don't think this is a good idea, Kaishi..." Lee nervously told him, to which Kaishi walked back over to him, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder.

"It isn't, but it's either this or Chaos permanently reigning over the world!" Kaishi firmly told him, trying to encourage Lee to carry out their quest, and the nervous Fire-Bender took a deep breath, breaking his vision from the Heart of Chaos

"Someone has to make a difference..." Lee muttered as Kaishi gave a firm pat to his back.

"That's the spirit! Come on, Raava won't know what hit him!... Her? Does a Spirit of Chaos have a gender?" Kaishi sceptically spoke, to which Lee let half-smiled.

"I'm pretty sure Raava's a woman... spirit... Spirit Woman!" Lee replied, further adding to their scepticism. A moment passed before both of them shrugged, proceeding to the Looming crystal sphere.

As they ventured closer, the Heart of Chaos became more clear: a large pillar of Spiritual energy stretching from a Circular structure all the way up to the Heart of Chaos. Kaishi and Lee looked up to the intimidating Crystal, both trembling in their boots.

"If you want to back out, now's the time," Lee told Kaishi, to which the Warrior let out a heavy sigh.

"No, we're going in!" Kaishi adamantly replied as he hopped on Lee's back, pointing up to the Heart of Chaos with his Dao Sword.

"Onwards, my fiery steed!" Kaishi impersonated a Fire Nation soldier as Lee let out a small chuckle, ejecting flames from his fists and feet to propel them up to the Heart of Chaos.

The two flew up, seeing their reflections in the crystal, seeing the underlying dread of their expressions as they searched for an opening, finding a hole wide enough for them to descend into. Lee slowly hovered down, finding a solid surface, then stopping his flames as Kaishi jumped off his friend's back, observing their surroundings.

"Any idea where Raava would be?" Kaishi whispered.

"My guess... a throne room of sorts," Lee whispered back as Kaishi nodded, proceeding with caution.

Kaishi held his Dao Sword at the ready whilst Lee kept his hands and fire-bending prepared, however, they met no resistance, trudging passed bones and shattered weaponry as they ventured inwards before Kaishi peaked his head around the archway of a large open room, discovering a womanly Black spirit slouched upon a throne, her body was slender with arms which looked like gauntlets adorned with white jewels. White markings corsed over her torso, and its shoulders appeared jagged. Her head resembled a helmet with two large horns protruding forward from the sides of her head while two other horns protruded upwards, and her eyes were an empty white.

Kaishi quickly ducked back away from the archway, heavily breathing hoping to have not caught the Black Spirits attention

"I think Raava's in there..." Kaishi whispered as his hair stood on end and his legs quaked.

"What's the plan? Run in or ambush?" Lee curiously asked as Kaishi observed the surroundings of the room, scoffing before turning to his friend.

"Heroes don't need plans!" Kaishi smugly replied, swallowing his nerves before running in through the Archway with an ever more nervous Lee in tow. Kaishi held his head high, stopping in front of Raava and raising his Dao Sword to her.

"Your Reign of Chaos and terror ends today, Raava!" Kaishi confidently proclaimed, his voice echoing around the room as an awkward silence loomed over them. Raava opened her eyes, two empty white eyes glaring down upon Kaishi and Lee.

"No, it doesn't," Raava dismissively replied as she closed her eyes once more, making Kaishi and Lee quizzically look to each other before returning focus to Raava.

"Yes, it does! We're here t-" "to cut me down and end my rule over the world, Blah, Blah, Blah. I've heard this a thousand times. Human!" Raava mocked Kaishi, cutting him off mid-sentence.

Kaishi's eye twitched before rushing in at Raava with his Dao Sword primed to strike, leaping in towards the Spirit of Chaos, but as he did, Raava swatted him away, taking no joy in watching him bounce along the floor. Kaishi pushed himself back to his feet, charging in once more, but Raava swatted him again and again.

"You humans are such fragile creatures. You have intelligence..." Raava spoke as she gazed down at the wounded Kaishi.

"Well... some of you do, but strength is something you lack!" Raava told them, boredom riddling through her tone. Lee unleashed a flurry of Fireballs towards Raava, as she raised a wall of impenetrable chaotic energy.

"Fire-Bending, how utterly useless!" Raava taunted him as Kaishi and Lee stood side by side, looking to each other, then back to Raava.

Lee let loose a giant spiral of Fire as Kaishi charged through it, using them as a cover before leaping through the fire and swinging his Dao Sword with mighty ferocity, striking Raava's hand as she erected the Chaotic energy once more. The blade slashed the Spirit of Chaos' palm, clenching her slashed hand into a fist and striking Kaishi, launching him across the room and smashing him into the Archway.

Raava gazed at her hand, seeing the open wound, as Kaishi stood up, seeing an inky black substance on the tip of his blade.

"It's about time I landed a hit!" Kaishi breathlessly jested as he pushed himself back up, clutching his side as he propped himself up with his sword.

"Weak, Human. You are the bottom of the pecking order, yet you try..." Raava spoke in a low angered voice as she rose from her throne "How dare you strike, **me**?!" Raava growled, as Kaishi and Lee began backing away.

"And I thought regular women were scary when angry!" Lee nervously jested, watching the approaching enraged Raava.

"I will make you regret being born weak, useless, and human!" Raava proclaimed as a pitch-black aura cloaked the room, radiating out from the Heart of Chaos as Kaishi and Lee looked on in fear, their surroundings blackening and the Heart of Chaos shook.

"Lee, Run!" Kaishi shouted as he and Lee began running from Raava, but the enraged Spirit of Chaos unleashed a blood-curdling wail, smashing through the Archway and blocking off Kaishi and Lee's escape route, but Kaishi looked to his right seeing another route.

"Lee, follow me!" Kaishi shouted as he began running down the alternate route. Raava watched them run, unleashing an inky black tendril towards Lee, ensnaring his leg and pulling him back, but Kaishi turned and cut off the tendril, picking up his friend as they continued to flee.

But to their dismay, the alternate route Kaishi had picked led to a dead end. The two nervously looked around, finding a hole in the floor and spying the glowing circular structure on the ground as they heard the approaching cries of Raava.

"What do we do?!" Lee frantically asked.

"Our options are either death by angry Spirit Lady, or possible death by jumping into this!" Kaishi explained, but before they could decide Raava appeared in front of them, fury boiling in her empty white eyes.

"You will not escape! I will not allow the world to know a human harmed me!" Raava spoke as she approached them, but Lee swallowed his fear, coating himself in fiery armour and running up to Raava, grappling her form and wrapping fiery chains around her.

"Lee, what are you doing!?" The bewildered Kaishi asked.

"Run!" Lee shouted as he held onto Raava with all his strength.

"But what about you!?" The reluctant Kaishi replied.

"Run, you fool! Don't waste what time you have!" Lee shouted as he began to lose grip of Raava.

Kaishi shook his head, diving into the hole and falling into the Spiritual energy and towards the Circular Structure, closing his eyes not expecting to survive, but as he reached the Circular Structure: He fell through it, finding himself on his way to the Nexus.

Lee broke his grip of Raava as she looked down at the falling Kaishi, turning to face Lee, rage boiling inside her.

"If I die, at least I died trying to make a difference!" Lee confidently spoke, but Raava scoffed.

"Your death means nothing, human!" Raava spoke as Chaotic energy erupted from her palm. Lee closed his eyes as the Chaotic energy engulfed his body, leaving no trace of him.

Kaishi awoke atop a Spirit Portal inside The Nexus, slowly standing whilst his head rung with pain as he observed his surroundings, realising he was no longer in the Mortal World.

He observed the glowing Spirit Portals, the radiant light showing locations Kaishi had never seen before, spotting a portal with a large temple, curiosity overwhelming him.

"Temple's normally mean ancient treasure... maybe a weapon that can defeat Raava!" Kaishi groggily told himself as he approached the Spirit Portal, walking atop it as a light engulfed him, transporting him to the entrance of the temple.

Kaishi cautiously unsheathed his Dao Sword as he approached the temple, holding his sword up to the side of his head with the tip pointing in the same direction as his vision. The Warrior entered the temple, facing no resistance, not even a trap, just the cold ambience sending chills down his spine.

Kaishi discovered an open room during his exploration. A stone sarcophagus sat in the centre, moss and cobwebs covering the room, as well as some pebbles by the entrance. Kaishi grasped the tiny stones, throwing them into the room to test for a trap, but nothing happened. Kaishi Still proceeded with caution, before standing beside the Sarcophagus, knocking on it with the guard of his Dao Sword, but no response came his way.

"Well, at least no one's alive in here!" Kaishi told himself as he began pushing on the Sarcophagus lid, but the Sarcophagus appeared empty, the disgruntled Warrior backed away, groaning as a beam of brilliant white energy shot out of the Sarcophagus, shattering the entire upper area of the temple and blasting Kaishi back into a wall.

"I'M FREE!" A voice bellowed as the white energy began taking shape, transforming into a white humanoid spirit with black markings coursing over it.

the Spirit descended onto the Sarcophagus which contained it, slowly standing up tall as it looked over to Kaishi.

"Thank you for releasing me... Human?" The Spirit quizzically spoke, raising a befuddled spirit eyebrow at Kaishi.

Kaishi stood back up, slowly regaining his breath as he looked to the spirit, hand poised over his Dao Sword.

"Who are you?" Kaishi cautiously asked, his sword hand twitching as sweat broke on his brow.

"I am Vaatu, the Spirit of Order!" Vaatu introduced himself, but upon inspecting him, Vaatu gasped at the sight of the black substance on Kaishi's blade.

"This is... a piece of my twin... You did battle with Raava? And lived!?" Vaatu shockingly spoke.

"Barely..." The regretful Kaishi replied. The Spirit of Order noticed his change in demeanour as the Warrior's hands lowered like heavyweights to his side.

"I can tell you want revenge against her, she's taken something from you, something you held dear!" Vaatu told him as he began theorising.

"Revenge... that would be great, but I don't hold a candle to Raava's power!" Kaishi replied, utterly disheartened.

"Ah! But together, we can defeat her. I'm sure of it!" Vaatu encouraged him, but Kaishi shrugged and looked away.

"No... I should just go back to my village. Get hailed as the village idiot and waste away like everyone else," Kaishi replied as he hung his head, walking away from Vaatu.

"Hold on! If you help me take down Raava, I'll grant you one wish!" Vaatu tried enticing Kaishi, to which the Warrior's head perked up, curiously gazing at him.

"You can do that?" Kaishi sceptically asked.

"Of course! Money, love, immortality, you want it, you got it!" Vaatu enthusiastically replied as Kaishi thought it over.

"I'm not sure if we'll be successful. But I guess I'll help you... My name is Kaishi by the way," Kaishi agreed, forming a partnership between the Spirit and the Human.

"Alright, show me what you got!" Vaatu told him gleefully, standing in front of Kaishi, but the Warrior raised an eyebrow, presenting his sword.

"No, I meant your bending, show me what elements you can bend!" Vaatu demanded.

"I... can't bend the elements?" Kaishi quizzically replied.

"Nonsense! Every human can bend an element or two!" Vaatu dismissively replied.

"I'm telling you, I can't bend the elements! I'm a non-bender!" Kaishi told him as he struck his fist out attempting to bend fire, but ultimately not producing anything whilst Vaatu wondrously looked at him.

"Well... you're going to have to learn!" Vaatu adamantly replied.

"What are you going to throw me at a Dragon?" Kaishi sarcastically asked.

"I'm going to take you to all four original sources of bending, and you're going to learn from them!" Vaatu told him in an excited tone.

"All four elements? Is that even possible!?" Kaishi asked, doubting Vaatu's plan.

"Sure it is, and I've got a few favours to cash in on from the Original Practitioners of bending! If they're happy to see me that is..." Vaatu replied as the two left the temple, departing for the mortal world. Vaatu lifted Kaishi up from the ground, forming into a Carpet as they flew into the Spirit Portal outside the temple and into The Nexus, swiftly flying into one of the Spirit Portals leading back to the Mortal World.

The two emerged into the Fire Nation as Vaatu looked around in dismay, seeing the Chaos covering the world as guilt washed over him.

"Now... where are the Dragons, Kaishi?" Vaatu dismally asked whilst Kaishi thought to himself for a moment.

"From what I remember, they live near or inside volcanoes," Kaishi told him as Vaatu spotted a nearby Volcano, dashing over to it with Kaishi, landing before a cave entrance, the Spirit of Order returning to his humanoid form as Kaishi jumped off of him.

"Let's go introduce ourselves!" Vaatu told him as they entered the Volcano. The two ventured inside, the heat of the volcano making Kaishi sweat uncontrollably whilst Vaatu remained unaffected.

The further they ventured into the Volcano, they found small bones, Dragon eggs and torn up pieces of meat before finally entering a massive open area as an elderly white and gold dragon with long whiskers and an unkempt mane swiftly greeted them. The Dragon slithered over to Vaatu, beginning to speak in an odd Draconic Tongue.

"Raava did indeed defeat me, but I'm here hoping you will teach this man Fire-bending!" Vaatu replied to the dragon, to which Kaishi quizzically looked at him and the dragon.

The Elderly dragon observed Kaishi, the gaze of the Dragon piercing into the Warrior's soul before it began speaking to Vaatu once more.

"Oh, good. He's going to get the Dragons to show you fire-bending and teach you!" Vaatu informed the still befuddled Kaishi.

The Dragon guided them down a path which led to the outside of the volcano where Dragons of varying colours and sizes awaited them. The Elderly Dragon summoned a Green Dragon and a Purple Dragon to his side, speaking to them in his Draconic tongue.

"Ooh, Dancing Dragon. You'll probably need some help with this!" Vaatu translated. The two Dragons and Vaatu assisted Kaishi in learning the Dancing Dragon, although he failed it several times, messing up feet and arm positioning as well as which move came after which, but Kaishi slowly mastered the dance, gaining the Elderly Dragon's approval before being moved onto learning how to generate fire by using his breath to create it.

The Dragons taught him proper breath control, showing him the consequences of losing control and the benefits of maintaining it. Months of training with the Dragons passed by before Kaishi could properly grasp of the basics of Fire-bending, finally putting his accumulated training together, his energy rushing through his body as he punched out, ejecting a fireball from his fist, excitement surged through the Warrior's body as The Dragons stood in amazement.

"I'm a fire-bender!" Kaishi Joyously spoke as Vaatu approached him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Took you long enough!" Vaatu sarcastically told him as Kaishi smiled, rolling his fingers as a tear streaked down his face, firing out multiple other fireballs to test whether it was just luck, pumping his arms as he watched the fire plume, Kaishi was now a Fire-bender.

Vaatu and Kaishi next journeyed to the Western Air Temple, seeking assistance from the Sky Bison and Air Nomads. The two discovered towers standing on the underside of a cliff, befuddling the pair as they soared closer in, landing on a small stone clearing.

The Air-benders of the Temple quickly greeted the two, but the pair noticed that all the Air-benders were women, sceptically looking to each other whilst the Air Nomads escorted them to the elders of the temple. Four elderly women sat before them, all bearing Air-bender tattoos, representing the Sky Bison their ancestors learnt from.

"Hello, traveller and... Spirit," The elders cautiously greeted them, unsure of their intentions as Vaatu hovered towards them.

"Hello, I am Vaatu, The Spirit of Order. And this here is Kaishi, a human I am escorting around the world to learn the elements!" Vaatu explained, to which the elders all perplexingly looked to one another.

"A human learning all four elements could be dangerous... are you sure about this?" One elder asked him, to which Vaatu rushed back over to Kaishi, confidently gesturing to the Warrior.

"I'm confident in the boy!" Vaatu adamantly spoke as the elders thought it over.

"The boy... Kaishi will train with the Sky Bison," One elder told them, to which Kaishi uneasily looked at Vaatu.

"Don't worry, Sky Bison are outstanding teachers!" Vaatu confidently replied.

The Elders guided Kaishi and Vaatu to where the Sky Bison lived inside the temple as an Air nomad noticed their approach, greeting them and showing them to the Sky bison.

The Sky Bison were affectionate creatures, even amongst the World of Chaos, giving Kaishi and Vaatu a warm welcome each whilst the air nomad tended to the Sky Bison before presenting Kaishi with a glider.

"This will help you fly alongside the Sky bison, although it can be a little tricky at first," The Air nomad Informed Kaishi as he took ahold of the Glider, observing the stick as he ran his hands up and down it, making the wings of the glider fly out, spooking Kaishi and even Vaatu.

Kaishi began his training alongside the Sky bison, learning to fly with his Glider alongside them, with the help of Vaatu to keep him from plummeting to his death.

Over the Months of training, Kaishi became adept with the glider, moving onto meditation to bolster his spirituality, as well as attempting the Spiralling Gates, set in motion by the gust of a Sky Bison's tail.

The Warrior fell multiple times to their merciless spin, but over the bitter months, Kaishi's agility increase, he began dodging the gates and all obstacles which came his way with grace, even his sword swings became faster,

Kaishi lay within a room provided by the Air Nomads, but in the dead of night whilst Vaatu stood a top the cliff sides, gazing up to the Chaotic skies, a knock came to the warriors door, alerting him as he lunged for his Dao sword, but only seeing one of the Air nomad elders standing before him.

"Settle down, boy, what harm can a little old lady do?" The Elder asked as she entered, Kaishi's guard lowering.

"Plenty, if trained properly," Kaishi retorted, the elder letting out a laugh at his response. The elder tapped the ground with her cane, signalling Kaishi to sit on the floor with her, to which the Warrior obliged.

"Can I ask what brings you here in the middle of the night?" Kaishi asked as he placed his hands to his thighs.

"The spirit of Order... Vaatu, sticks to you like glue, so I thought I'd take the chance to talk to you whilst he's out Chaos gazing," The elder replied as Kaishi raised a bemused eyebrow.

"What have you wanted to talk about?" Kaishi asked, shuffling in his seated position.

"Vaatu is gallivanting you across the Four Nations to learn all four elements... but the question on my mind is... why?" The elder asked, staring into Kaishi's amber eyes.

"We plan to defeat Raava and bring balance back to the world," Kaishi briefly explained.

"And how do you plan to do that?" The elder asked, swirling her finger at Kaishi.

"Well... with Raava defeated, Vaatu will bring about a world of Order, and then things will become better," Kaishi nervously replied as the Elder shook her head.

"So Naive, bringing about a world of pure Order will not bring about balance, only more imbalance," The elder explained as Kaishi's head jutted back, his palms tensing.

"What do you mean? We've lived in a world of Chaos for thousands of years! We need Order!" Kaishi argued, but the Elder shook her head once more.

"Raava and Vaatu are two sides of the same coin, originally created to maintain balance between Humans and Spirits, but Raava's lust for Chaos brought about the world we know today, and now Vaatu is going down the same path, he strives for Order in a world gone mad, but you must not follow him down that path," The elder explained, Kaishi slumped down, looking to the ground with a heavy gaze before looking back to the elder.

"Then what do I do?" Kaishi asked as the elder thought to herself.

"You must find a way for Raava and Vaatu to co-exist once more, for without Order and Chaos working in tandem to balance the world, we Humans and Spirits are doomed to live in a world of imbalance," The elder explained as Kaishi slowly nodded. The elder stood up, taking her leave out the door as Kaishi lay back in his bed, thinking over the words of the elder.

The next day, Kaishi continued training with his sword, letting the energy around him course through every slash whilst Vaatu observed him, but to the surprise of both human and spirit,, Kaishi unleashed an Air Slash with this sword, almost grazing Vaatu, much to the Spirit of Order's displeasure.

"Two elements... Has anyone done this before?" Kaishi curiously asked as he sheathed his sword.

"Of course! You, humans, are naturally curious creatures!" Vaatu told him as they flew to their next location, but Vaatu remained in his humanoid form as Kaishi sceptically looked at him.

"You're an air-bender now, boy. You can fly yourself!" Vaatu told him as he began setting off, leaving the disgruntled Kaishi as he gazed at the Glider before turning his gaze to the Air nomad.

"Do you mind if I keep this?" Kaishi asked whilst gesturing to the Glider as the Air nomad chuckled to herself.

"We have plenty, no one will miss one Glider," She told him as Kaishi smiled, setting up the glider and flying off, eventually catching up with Vaatu.

"So, where to now?" Kaishi curiously asked.

"The North Pole!" Vaatu informed him as Kaishi grimaced, reluctant to go, much to Vaatu's confusion.

"I don't like the cold, it's... well... cold," Kaishi spoke in an embarrassed tone.

"Those Air-benders didn't teach you heat regulation, did they?" Vaatu sceptically asked.

"No?" Kaishi curiously replied.

"Air-benders can warm themselves using breathing techniques, this means they can thrive even in frigid environments. Try it while we fly. Maybe then you won't be so cold!" Vaatu explained, to which Kaishi nodded, attempting multiple breathing techniques as they flew to the North Pole.

After hours of flying, the two landed within the Spirit Oasis, two old friends greeting Vaatu upon his arrival.

"Tui! La! Good to see you two again!" Vaatu happily spoke, as the two telepathically replied.

"Yes... Raava struck me down, why does everyone feel like they need to remind me?" Vaatu told Tui and La, but as the three-spoke, Kaishi quizzically looked at Vaatu and the two Koi fish.

"I'm talking to the Koi Fish... they're the Spirits of the Moon and Ocean. Like Raava and I, they keep balance in the world!" Vaatu explained as he turned to face Kaishi.

"I'm going to be learning from Fish now?" Kaishi sceptically asked as he pointed to the circling fish.

"Not from them. We can't break Tui away from the dance, or else who knows what will happen. What you're going to do is observe the moon itself!" Vaatu explained as he gestured to the full moon hanging in the sky.

"The moon's my teacher?" Kaishi nervously replied.

"Yes... It's not going to be fun..." Vaatu informed him before guiding the Warrior to the ocean. The moon pushed the water onto the shore, then pulled back into the ocean as Vaatu and Kaishi stood before it.

"All you have to do to learn Water-Bending is push and pull the waves as the moon does!" Vaatu explained as Kaishi observed his hands, flexing his fingers as the element of fire pulsed through him.

"Won't Fire-bending... impede this?" Kaishi cautiously asked.

"Ever since the original _human_ benders learnt to bend, it seems some of you were born with a natural talent for a specific element, and some were not. You aren't a natural Fire-bender, you've only just recently picked it up. In other words: No, it shouldn't interfere too much," Vaatu explained as Kaishi nodded, beginning to push his arms out towards the water, then pull them back into his body.

"You're moving too fast! Move at the pace of the tide, push out with the tide and then pull back with it!" Vaatu explained as Kaishi slowed down his movements, slowly pushing out with the tide, then pulling back with it, his eyes closed, letting the rhythm take over until the water began pushing out and pulling in to his will, much to Vaatu's surprise, seeing that Kaishi had closed his eyes.

"Kaishi, open your eyes!" Vaatu shouted as the Warrior's eyes perked open, still doing the push and pull movements, noticing the water bend to his will, pulling it in and forming a ring around himself for a moment then dropping it to the ground as Vaatu applauded him.

"Maybe you were a natural water-bender in a past life!" Vaatu jested as Kaishi smiled.

Kaishi continued pushing and pulling the water, practising for the entire month to learn Water-Bending, until he had grasped the basics, pleasing The Spirit of Order before taking Kaishi to the Earthen Lands. As the two flew side by side, Vaatu finally set his eyes on The Heart of Chaos, Dread crawling over his form from the sight of it.

"Raava..." Vaatu sombrely muttered as he and Kaishi descended towards the cave of two lovers, standing before the hollow entrance.

"We're looking for Badger-moles. They will be your last teacher!" Vaatu informed Kaishi as he gazed into the cave and then back to Vaatu.

"Any idea how we'll find them?" Kaishi asked.

"I... am going to sing!" Vaatu nervously proclaimed as he ventured inwards, with Kaishi in tow.

"Well, Raava and I fought for forty nights, And Kaishi only lasted Forty seconds." Vaatu began his song, striding in as Kaishi raised a miffed eyebrow.

"But now, my boy, you're in luck! 'cause up your sleeves, You've got a Spirit of Order who won't fail!" Vaatu continued singing as he gestured to Kaishi, his form brightening as he did.

"You've got some strength in your corner now! Some heavy fire power in your camp, You've got some punch, pizzazz, yahoo and how, See all you gotta do is punch that fist, and shoo-" Vaatu sang as an elderly Badger-mole broke down a wall, letting out a pleased growl as he saw Vaatu stood before him.

"Wow, you're still kicking?" Vaatu responded, to which the Elderly Badger mole gave a positive growl as Vaatu smiled.

"It's good to see you too!... now I have a human here, he needs to learn Earth-bending, and you still owe me for protecting you from Raava," Vaatu explained, but the Elderly Badger-mole seemed reluctant, speaking with Vaatu before agreeing to train Kaishi in the ways of earth-bending.

The badger-mole demonstrated how he used Earth-bending as an extension of his senses whilst Kaishi attempted to do the same, but the Warrior struggled to adapt to the way the Badger-moles.

"Try shielding your eyes, Badger-moles are blind, perhaps cutting off your sense of vision will help!" Vaatu informed Kaishi, to which he ripped part of his black baggy pants, wrapping it around his eyes like a blindfold.

The elderly badger-mole noticed that the two had finished conversing, continuing his training of Kaishi, crashing through the earth before him as Kaishi attempted to replicate his movements, failing almost every time.

Vaatu, Kaishi and the Elderly Badger-mole remained in the caves for months, refusing to stop until Kaishi had learnt to Earth-bend. But the more Kaishi trained, the more his vitality waned, his skin became pale and his breathing uncontrolled and ragged, but Kaishi pushed on, forcing himself to learn Earth-Bending, and in time the earth moved beneath him, bending to his will as he grinned and pulled off the blindfold.

But as he did, his vision blurred, his balance became unstable until he collapsed on the floor, unconscious.

"Kaishi! What's happened to you!?" Vaatu asked his unconscious body, as he and the Elderly Badger-mole rushed over, the Badger-Mole curiously grunting.

"Yes, he has learned all four elements... but why is he... like this?" Vaatu frantically asked as the badger-mole explained.

"The elements war within him... Chaos is destroying his body?" Vaatu dismally responded as the Badger-mole affirmatively growled, before informing what Vaatu can do to help him.

"Fuse with him? But that would be permanent! He isn't even conscious to agree to this!" Vaatu protested as the badger-mole let out a disappointed growl.

"Yes... I know we need to stop Raava... and restore order... perhaps... this is for the best..." Vaatu responded as he looked to Kaishi, letting out a heavy sigh at the sight of him.

"I'm sorry you can't consent to this, friend!" Vaatu told the unconscious Kaishi as he dived into his body. Vaatu merged with Kaishi as a brilliant light erupted from Kaishi's mouth and eyes, his body writhing with power as Vaatu brought Order to the four elements within Kaishi. The light faded, the Warrior's vitality returning as he jerked up, his heart racing as his breathing slowed.

"Where's Vaatu?" Kaishi asked as he stood up, looking around before the badger-mole let out a low growl, pointing to Kaishi. But the Warrior thought he meant Vaatu was behind him, looking around to see he wasn't there.

"I am a part of you now, Kaishi," Vaatu spoke within his mind, The Warrior's eyes widening as he gasped, frantically looking at his body.

"...It's because I learnt the four elements, isn't it?" Kaishi asked, disappointment washing over him.

"Yes... if I had left you there, you would have died... and I couldn't let that happen," Vaatu sombrely told him as Kaishi looked at his hands, determination igniting in his eyes.

"I understand, Vaatu. I'll do whatever it takes to bring this world out of the Chaos, even if I have to die doing it!" Kaishi spoke. His voice oozing with confidence as he clenched his fist, but Vaatu remained silent.

Kaishi turned to the Badger-mole, thanking him for his help before leaving the cave of two lovers.

"Where to now, Vaatu?" Kaishi asked him.

"You... well, we must master the four elements now if we're to stand a chance against Raava... it may take years, decades even... but I believe we can do it!" Vaatu told him within his mind. Kaishi & Vaatu exited the cave, setting out into the World of Chaos to Master the Four elements.


	3. The Forgotten Battle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vaatu concludes the tale of the First Avatar, and plants the quest of finding his relic before the Young Avatar

Kaishi & Vaatu remained in the Earthen Lands, tirelessly training together with the four elements for thirteen years, and with bitter work and determination, they mastered them. Vaatu also granted Kaishi the power needed to seal away Raava within an object, the same power used against him.

Finally prepared to face Raava and put an end to the World of Chaos. Kaishi & Vaatu flew with their glider towards the Heart of Chaos, landing on the patch of ground where Kaishi and Lee stood years ago, a pit growing in the Warrior's stomach as he stood there, the wind blowing through his unkempt hair.

"Lee..." Kaishi muttered, fondling his shaggy hair and thick, draping beard, but with a flick of his wrist, Kaishi formed a reflective sheen of Ice, looking at himself as he withdrew his Dao blade.

He took a hold of the blade's spine, placing the razor-sharp edge to his face, cutting with the grain of his beard, shaving off the entire beard, leaving behind a faint stubble along his face.

Next, he grasped the handle, pulling his hair up into one large clump, then cutting off an extensive amount of it, finally pulling out a decorative hair tie, smiling at it with fond memories as he placed his hair back into a topknot. Kaishi looked at himself within the Ice mirror, letting out a pleased sigh as he rubbed his hands along his sideburns and stubble.

"Much better!" Kaishi happily told himself before looking up to the Heart of Chaos, fearless determination cloaking his face.

"I won't let your death be in vain, Lee. I promise!" Kaishi spoke as he clutched the handle of his sword.

"Let's not waste any more time, Kaishi. Remember the plan!" Vaatu spoke to him as Kaishi nodded.

"Overpower Raava, then seal her within the sword," Kaishi replied, emptily gazing at the Heart of Chaos.

"Then once the dust has settled, we can bring about a World of Order and Peace!" Vaatu told him.

"Yeah..." Kaishi replied with a heavy sigh, flicking out his glider and unleashing the wings before flying up into the Heart of Chaos.

Kaishi flew into the hole he and Lee used to enter, seeing it blocked by rubble from their encounter with Raava. Kaishi assumed a firm stance as he parted the rubble away, looking down the corridor, seeing visions of his original venture here, striding onward with his head held high.

Kaishi & Vaatu came to Raava's throne room. Seeing the Spirit of Chaos slumped in her throne, the human and spirit stood firm before her, clutching the Dao Sword in its sheath.

"Raava!" Kaishi shouted.

"Your reign of terror is ov-" Raava mocked him as she opened her eyes, pausing and recognising Kaishi.

"You! The human who wounded me!" Raava growled as she sat up in her throne. However, Kaishi remained silent, glaring at the Spirit of Chaos.

"So, the lowly human returns over a decade later to die in the same place his friend did..." Raava casually mocked him.

"I'm not the same human you fought all those years ago," Kaishi spoke as he withdrew his Dao Sword, a mystical ringing radiating around the room as Kaishi & Vaatu held the Dao sword before Raava, a faint glow emitting from it, making the Spirit of Chaos' eyes widened.

"Vaatu..." Raava lowly growled, chuckling to herself as she rose from the throne.

"You think by merging with a lowly human that you now stand any chance against me!? I am the Primordial being of Chaos, I have held this world with an iron fist for over Nine Thousand years! and you have the gall! The Audacity! To stand before me now, the petulant Spirit of Order who fell before the world he so loved. You will both fall by the hands of Chaos once more! And Chaos will eternally reign over this world, The Nexus and the Spirit World! Come, Mortal! Come, Vaatu! I will erase you from My world!" Raava proclaimed with growing malice as she approached Kaishi & Vaatu.

"Wow, she really got an ego over the years..." Vaatu nervously jested.

Kaishi tightly gripped his Dao sword, swinging and unleashing a razor edge of flame, shocking the Spirit of Chaos as the flames struck, scorching her form as she quizzically glared at Kaishi.

"You learnt fire-bending?" Raava asked as her form remoulded around the wound. But Kaishi remained focused, striking both his fists out and unleashing a mighty blast of fire as Raava formed a barrier of Chaos, but Kaishi smirked, assuming a strong stance, and pulling the earth behind Raava, shifting it up into an Earth Column and knocking the Spirit of Chaos forward, dispelling the barrier as the befuddled Raava looked behind, seeing the shifted earth.

Kaishi & Vaatu swung the Dao sword once more, unleashing a razor slash of Air, and smashing Raava into the Earth column before pulling water from a satchel and unleashing a mighty torrent, freezing it around Raava's form as the two merciless charged, leaping up to Raava, Dao Sword poised to plunge into her form, but Raava let loose a mighty howl, shattering the ice and blasting Kaishi & Vaatu away, An enraged Raava stood before them as a black aura expanded across the room and around the exterior of the Heart of Chaos.

"You may have control over the four elements, but I will not lose! I am Raava!!" The Spirit of Chaos desperately roared as a persistence shock-wave pushed Kaishi & Vaatu back. However, they stood their ground, ejecting fire from their hands and pushing back against the sheer pressure of Raava's might.

The shock-wave ceased as Raava raised her hand, a condensed sphere of energy forming in her palm, as she glared at Kaishi & Vaatu, unleashing a lethal beam of energy at the human and Spirit, however, Kaishi & Vaatu quickly launched themselves into the air on a pillar of earth, before quickly dashing away from the Energy beam.

The beam of pure Chaos destroyed everything in its path, even the Heart of Chaos' shell, causing the structure to quake and slowly fall apart. Raava forced the Chaotic beam to follow Kaishi & Vaatu as they sprinted along the walls, the Chaos toiling behind them as their nerves stood on end.

"How long can she keep this up?" Kaishi frantically asked.

"Good question!" Vaatu uneasily replied as Raava let out a piercing wail, persisting as The Heart of Chaos began shattering, pieces of its structure fell to the ground below whilst the people of the Earthen Lands watched with hope brewing within them.

Raava's chaotic beam sputtered out, her energy drained and seeing the disorientated Spirit of Chaos, Kaishi & Vaatu wasted no time in taking the opportunity, leaping from the walls and sweeping their leg along the floor, unleashing a mighty gust of wind and knocking Raava off her balance, hitting the floor as Kaishi & Vaatu propelled Raava into the air with an Earth column before deftly flying up to her level.

They unleashed a mighty roar of flame from their fist, engulfing Raava as she fell down to the floor whilst they restrained the Spirit of Chaos' wrists, ankles and throat, with grips of earth Kaishi & Vaatu pulled the shattered ice into a watery tendril on their hand, latching onto Raava and pulling themselves in, unsheathing the Dao Sword and piercing through Raava's chest, keeping her earthy binds strong with their free hand.

Kaishi & Vaatu pinned Raava to the floor whilst the Heart of Chaos shook around them, The Spirit of Chaos struggling to break free, letting loose an unparalleled roar as the Heart of Chaos fell from the sky.

"You're a fool! You'll die too!" Raava shouted, still trying to break free.

"Even if I die: At least I died making a difference!" Kaishi yelled as the three fell from the sky inside the Heart of Chaos. The Heart smashed into the ground like a meteorite, shattering as a crater formed beneath them, the crystalline fragments scattered across the Earthen Lands as the ground quaked.

The battle silenced, the dust cleared as Kaishi sombrely gazed at the defeated Raava still pierced with the Dao Sword.

"What are you waiting for!? Finish it now!" Vaatu demanded as Raava hazily gazed back at Kaishi. The Warrior let out a heavy sigh, tightening his grasp of the Dao Sword.

"No... I won't end it like this!" Kaishi spoke, channelling the power Vaatu had gifted him, but instead of making The Dao Sword the vessel to seal Raava, he made himself the vessel, drawing in Raava's cosmic power.

"No! What are you doing, Kaishi!?" Vaatu protested as Raava's form coursed up the Dao Sword and into Kaishi, the Spirit of Order forcing him to stop, but Kaishi persisted.

"You don't know what this will do! You could die!" Vaatu tried to reason with him,

"The only death I fear is a meaningless one. If the price to restore balance is my life... then so be it!" Kaishi fearlessly replied as Raava's form dissipated, becoming a part of Kaishi.

"What... have you done!?" Vaatu nervously asked him, as Kaishi took a deep breath, falling to his knees as the Chaos toiled inside him.

"Before this journey... I wanted exactly what you wanted, Vaatu. A World of Order... a world of peace... But I've realised that a World of Pure Order... would be no better than a World of Pure Chaos!" Kaishi spoke as he gripped his chest, forcing himself back up before sheathing the Dao sword.

"What are you talking about!?" Vaatu angrily responded

"In a World of Pure Chaos, people were miserable, hopeless... but in a World of Pure Order... they would still be miserable and our progression would stagnate," Kaishi breathlessly explained.

"But there would be no wars! No blood spilt ever again! And everyone would live in harmony with one another! Surely you understand this!" Vaatu tried to reason with Kaishi once again.

"And anything that came to disrupt the Order of the world would be snuffed out without a second thought... Just like how anyone who attempted to disrupt the Chaos of this world was snuffed out!" Kaishi explained further as Vaatu and Raava remained silent.

"Vaatu, Spirit of Order. Raava, Spirit of Chaos. You are both needed in the Mortal and Spirit Worlds. Therefore, Vaatu, I'm ready to use that wish you promised me so long ago!" Kaishi told him, slowly regaining control of his breathing.

"But you... you... technically helped me bring down Raava... just not in the way I expected..." Vaatu quizzically replied.

"So, what do you want? You've already got Power beyond any human or spirit, I doubt you'll need money... so I'm guessing... Love? Resurrection?" Vaatu asked as Kaishi shook his head.

"No... I want you two to carry my soul into a next life, become an arbiter of balance in the ages to come, and a bridge between the two worlds... An Avatar!" Kaishi replied with a faint smile.

"Why not just wish for immortality then?" Vaatu asked.

"I don't want to live forever... but I do want the balance to remain in this world..." Kaishi adamantly replied.

"So I take it you want us to take your spirit when you die, pass it onto someone else, and then do the same for them, and the person after them and so on?" Vaatu clarified.

"Yeah... that sounds about right," Kaishi replied as the true rays of the sun broke through the dispelling chaos.

"Are you alright with that Raava?" Vaatu worryingly asked as Raava remained quiet, thinking over the idea.

"After ruling for over Nine thousand years... and finally having my Ego beaten down by a human of all things... I think I'll be fine with this, as long as we get to bring some Chaos now and then," Raava replied as Kaishi let out a brief chuckle.

"It's decided then... the Avatar Cycle begins now!" Vaatu spoke as a radiant light shined within Kaishi, his wish fulfilled, beginning the cycle of the Avatar.

Vaatu finished telling his story to Claire, who sat there in amazement.

"Then after that, Kaishi returned home, hailed as a hero by his village and got the girl of his dreams. Starting a family and then passed away several decades later. Fast forward Fifty Thousand years and we're here!" Vaatu told her.

"I'm curious... in your story, you mentioned 'cashing in on favours'... but I don't recall you and Avatar Kaishi going to the Lion Turtles... did you ever get repaid for helping them?" Claire curiously asked.

"The Lion Turtle repaid me much later... albeit begrudgingly... he wasn't too happy that his race almost went extinct... but after I gave him the power to traverse into the Spirit World, he agreed to help me and Avatar Aang," Vaatu explained.

"You... summoned the Lion Turtle that Aang found on Ember Island?" Claire asked in disbelieve.

"Of course I did! Do you really think a Lion Turtle: one of the world's oldest living creatures. Would just show up out of nowhere outside a tiny island in the Fire Nation?" Vaatu asked her, to which Claire blankly stared.

"Good point... Let me guess, Aang conveniently getting slammed into a rock at just the right space to unblock his Chakra was you or Raava too?" Claire sarcastically asked.

"Oh, that was just blind luck. Neither I nor Raava had anything to do with that!" Vaatu bluntly replied as Claire lightly scoffed.

"How do you pick the Avatar? There must be some kind of... System you and Raava have?" Claire curiously asked.

"Originally, Raava thought it would be funny to pick the Avatar's based on their names sounding like numbers, so the Avatar after Kaishi was Avatar Wan... we stopped that after Avatar Tui and just went in the order of the elements in which Kaishi learnt them. We pick the Avatar based on who represents Avatar Kaishi the most... of course, we didn't make the right choice all the time," Vaatu explained.

"Any examples of when you went wrong?" Claire quizzically asked.

"Avatar Shen-Chao, the man who created Spirit-Bending... a foul, reprehensible Bending style that neither myself nor Raava approved of. He intended to use his power to bind Spirits to his will to overthrow the Mortal and Spirit worlds. But Raava and I couldn't allow him to do this... so we forced ourselves out of his body. The process killed him almost instantly... then the next Avatar had to clean up his mess..." Vaatu lamented.

"Aren't the Avatars always meant to be an 'Arbiters of Balance'?" the befuddled Claire asked.

"Raava and I made some mistakes when picking past Avatars, some only coveted the power, others never wanted to be the Avatar, rejecting the responsibility. And because of this, it is also how the names Raava and Vaatu faded into the past, only being called 'The Avatar Spirit' by the more... modern Avatars," Vaatu explained.

"That must... hurt, being forgotten by the world you two swore to keep balance in," Claire mournfully replied.

"Worry not, young Avatar. We simply carry out the wish of the first Avatar now. And with the past knowledge of all the Avatars before you, in a way... our role now is connecting you to them," Vaatu sombrely told her as a realisation dawned on Claire.

"Avatar Kaishi never used the Avatar State against Raava... why is that?" Claire curiously asked.

"The Avatar State is a link between the current Avatar and their past lives before Kaishi there were no past Avatars, and thus nothing to connect to," Vaatu explained.

"What about you? Could he not connect to your power and knowledge?" Claire quizzically asked.

"The power and knowledge I possessed already flowed through Kaishi because of our merge. Which is how he could defeat Raava in such a swift time," Vaatu continued explaining.

"In that case... who created the Avatar State?" Claire asked, still curious as to its creation.

"The Tenth Avatar, Kornak of the Foggy Swamp Tribe, myself and Raava created the Avatar State," Vaatu explained.

"Oh... how did you do it?" Claire continued asking questions.

"Cosmic Spirit Magic!" Vaatu sarcastically replied as he wiggled his fingers, causing sparks of cosmic dust to flutter off into the air. Claire realised Vaatu grew tired of questions, slumping down as she gazed at the spirit.

"One last question... where is Avatar Kaishi's Dao Sword now? Is it buried with him or?" Claire curiously asked.

 _"When the writer said she was inquisitive, they weren't kidding..."_ Vaatu thought to himself.

"Avatar Kaishi's final resting place is somewhere in the Spirit World... perhaps you can find it!" Vaatu hinted.

"Wouldn't the sword have rusted away or broken by now?" Claire quizzically asked, wondering why he'd want her to go find the sword.

"Don't worry... I'm sure it's in tip-top condition!" Vaatu told her. But as Claire spoke, Vaatu and the Avatars behind her all faded away as the endless dimension of blue dematerialised with them, causing Claire to awaken on top of the table, suddenly jerking up and startling Iroh.

"Oh, you're finally awake!" Iroh told her as he clutched his teapot.

"And a lot more knowledgeable too!" Claire replied as she observed her surroundings.

"Where's Kang?" the Concerned Avatar asked.

"He has returned to the Mortal World" Iroh informed her as Claire lightly scoffed.

"Up and ditches me here whilst I'm unconscious" Claire jested, hopping off the table as Iroh turned to her with a cup of tea in hand.

"He has gone on a personal quest... one he had to do alone!" Iroh explained as he handed the tea to Claire, which she wholeheartedly accepted.

"Does it have to do with... you know who?" Claire nervously asked.

"Yes," Iroh replied with a sombre nod as Claire sat down, drinking the tea whilst thinking of Kang.


	4. A Kyoshi Warrior's Tale

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The would-be defenders of Republic City rest and recover within the House of Zu and Li whilst Khana tells them her tale.

The Governors, Lin, Khana, Sky, Ty Lee, Zu and Li retreated to the home of Zu and Li, using it as a hideaway whilst the blanket of Chaos cloaked the skies. Gao lit several candles to illuminate the room whilst Li continued his healing, taking care of Sky's fractured rips as Khana's broken leg lay supported on a table.

"I think I'm alright now Li. Go help Khana," Sky told him as he lightly pushed his shoulder, Li nodded and rushed over to Khana, coating the damaged area of her leg in water as it emitted a healing glow, Ty Lee held her hand as the Kyoshi Warrior winced, gripping Ty Lee's hand as her leg repaired.

Zu walked through the door with several bags filled with ice, passing them to the Governors, Lin and Sky.

"Sorry I took so long, Kang's freezing thingy can be finicky," Zu told them as he sat down on a sturdy leather chair.

"It's fine, I think we're all going to be out of commission for a while," The melancholy Hou replied as he put the ice pack to his head.

"Indeed..." Lin replied as she placed an ice pack on her shoulder, looking around the room as Hou raised a curious eyebrow to his sister.

"What should we do in the meantime?" Lin asked as daunting silence loomed over the room.

"Khana! You're the Right hand to the Fire Lord, right?" Hou heartily asked her as the Kyoshi Warrior broke through her wincing, quizzically gazing over to Hou.

"I am, what of it?" Khana bluntly asked whilst Li continued healing her leg.

"It must be quite the story as to how you got there, perhaps you could tell us?" Hou asked, hoping to kill the time during their recovery.

"Really? You're asking her to tell a story whilst her legs being mended?" Lin asked, raising an eyebrow to her brother.

"It's alright, Lin," Khana reassured the Police Chief as she pushed herself up on the leather couch, sitting up straight whilst Ty Lee sat next to her.

"I'll start from the beginning: The day Masters Suki and Ty Lee found me," Khana replied as she began spinning her tale.

An Ostrich Horse-Drawn cart rolled along a mountain path, carrying a married couple and a child originally from Yu Dao, now a part of The United Republic of Nations. Their journey to the Fire Nation went along smoothly, but dark clouds gathered overhead. Lightning crackled as shadows appeared over the cliff sides. Bandits attacked the cart, slaying the driver and freeing the Ostrich Horses.

The couple attempted to fight back, leaving their one-year-old child in the cart. The father fought with fire, whereas the mother fought with earth, but try as they might: The parents fell to the bandits, their corpses and cart ransacked. All the vile thugs left was the child.

Hours passed by, thunder rumbling in the skies as heavy rain fell, and roaring winds coursed through the mountain path. But despite the harsh weather, two Kyoshi Warriors traversed through the terrain, Suki, leader of the Kyoshi Warriors. she covered her body in a green robe with a black breastplate and pauldrons adorning her torso and a fauld which draped below her waist, Black boots covered her lower legs and Black arm guards covered her forearms, and a triangle-shaped circlet with four decorative prongs adorned her head. Her hair was a flowing shoulder-length Auburn, and her eyes a pale blue. Ty Lee, her right-hand woman adorned in similar attire with braided brown hair and grey eyes.

"Are you sure they were taking this road?" Suki asked as she raised her arms in front of her, protecting her face from the rain.

"I'm certain! They should've been at the port hours ago!" Ty Lee replied, raising her voice over the turbulent weather.

The two persisted down the mountain path, spying a smashed up cart and three corpses nearby. Both of them gasped before rushing over to the cart, seeing that the bandits had slain the driver and couple.

"This looks like it was the work of bandits," Suki growled as Ty Lee ran over to the cart, investigating to see if anything was left behind, opening the cart door and letting out a shocked gasp.

"Suki! There's a baby in here!" Ty Lee called out as Suki ran over to her, seeing the baby with her own eyes. The child was alive and asleep, resting in the middle of the cart.

"I think we should wait out the storm inside this cart... carrying a baby back to the port in this weather may kill it," Ty Lee recommended as Suki nodded. The two climbed into the cart, tending to the child as the storm raged outside.

Hours passed by as Suki and Ty Lee awaited for the weather to calm, hearing birds chirp outside the cart and blinking their eyes slowly. Suki kicked the cart door open, stepping outside with the cart to see the sun shining in the sky, the rays reflecting off the puddles on the ground.

"We should start heading back!" Suki recommended as Ty Lee affirmatively nodded in response, stepping out and beginning their venture back to the port, carrying the child in their arms.

"So, have you thought of a name for her yet?" Ty Lee curiously asked.

"Not yet, Sokka's always been better with names..." Suki replied as she cradled the baby in her arms.

"Hmm... how about Khana!" Ty Lee suggested as Suki's eyes lit up, a smile breaking out over her face at the sound of the name.

"Yeah! Khana!" Suki joyfully replied as the baby Khana giggled.

Khana and Ty Lee smiled to one another as Li continued healing her leg, whilst everyone quizzically looked at the two Kyoshi Warriors.

"So you really knew my mother?" Jing curiously asked as Khana's eyebrows perked up.

"Suki's your mother?" Khana asked in surprise as Jing blankly stared whilst Ty Lee's gaze bounced between the two.

"...Yes, she never mentioned me?" Jing asked, mildly embarrassed.

"Not as far as I remember... but now that you mention it, you resemble her a little!" Khana happily replied as Jing smirked, shrugging it off.

"What happened after that?" Hou curiously asked as Khana continued her tale.

Suki, Ty Lee and the baby arrived at the port, the sun illuminating the area as a hefty bearded man with a bushy moustache sprinted up to the Kyoshi Warriors.

"Kyoshi Warriors! Where are the Yu Dao officials?" The hefty man breathlessly asked as Suki and Ty Lee looked to each other with a dismal grimace.

"Bandits slew them and looted their belongings," Suki reported, still holding the baby in her arms.

"Oh, spirits!" The hefty man exclaimed as he ruffled the sides of his head.

"But we recovered their child!" Ty Lee heartily added as she pointed to the baby.

"What good is a baby of the Yu Dao officials!?" The hefty man retorted, taking aback Suki and Ty Lee.

"What should we do with her, sir?" Suki asked, looking to the man and the baby.

"Oh, what does it matter! Raise it yourself, chuck it in the sea, I don't care!" the hefty man replied as he sauntered off in frustration, Suki and Ty Lee both glaring at him as he left.

"Well, isn't he a bundle of sunshine," Ty Lee commented.

"Yeah... but the question still stands, do we raise Khana ourselves, or pass her on?" Suki asked as the baby reached her arms out to Suki and Ty lee, smiling at the two of them.

"Well, you've already raised Jing-y, why not raise another! And I'll help!" Ty Lee replied as Suki uneasily looked at the baby and Ty Lee.

"She'll have to become a Kyoshi Warrior if we do!" Suki replied as Ty lee placed a hand on her shoulder with a bright smile.

"I'm sure she won't mind!" Ty Lee replied as the three ventured onto the boat, returning to the Fire Nation and then back to the Royal Palace.

The Kyoshi Warriors strode into the courtyard of the Palace, Zuko and his - now wife - Jin, a woman he met during his time as a refugee in Ba Sing see greeted them. Jin's hair styled her brown and grey hair into two braids, her eyes an olive green, and she adorned herself with flowing crimson and gold robes. The Fire Lord rectified his romance with Jin after Mai left him during the days of The Harmony Restoration Movement.

"Suki... Where are the Yu Dao officials? And where did you get a child?" Zuko quizzically asked.

"Bandits attacked, and this baby was the only thing we recovered from the cart. We couldn't bring ourselves to leave her behind, so we're going to raise her, and bring her up to be a Kyoshi Warrior," Suki adamantly replied.

"Are you sure that's a good idea? What if her family comes looking for her?" Jin asked as Zuko briefly nodded.

"We... didn't think to do that. Our priority was getting the child to safety, and the port was closer than The United Republic," Suki explained as Zuko thought to himself whilst Jin approached Suki, Ty Lee and the baby.

"We should try to contact the family of the child at the least. If nothing comes of it: you can keep them," Zuko replied as Jin gently wagged her finger at the baby, the child catching her finger with a happy giggle.

"Have you named them?" Jin asked as she turned her gaze to Suki.

"She's named Khana," Suki replied with a smile before turning her attention to Zuko.

"Of course, Fire Lord Zuko," Suki replied as she bowed her head, Ty Lee doing the same before Jin waltzed back over to Zuko, the two couples going their separate ways.

Zuko made every attempt to contact the family of Khana for months on end, but nothing came to pass. Not a single reply came in. Khana grew up becoming the youngest member of the present-day Kyoshi Warriors at the age of eleven, training day in and day out with them, hoping to become as good as her masters Suki and Ty Lee.

But during one of their training sessions, two residents of Yu Dao arrived at the Fire Nation palace. An elderly woman and a middle-aged man arrived at the front gate, being halted by the Royal Guards.

"State your business," One Royal Guard demanded.

"We're here about the child of the Yu Dao officials who died eleven years ago!" The woman informed them as The Royal Guards looked to each other, their perplexed demeanour's radiating through their helmets.

"You... took your time coming for her," A Royal guard nervously replied.

"Yes! Yes! Now let us in to see the Fire Lord!" The woman demanded. The Royal Guards shrugged as they opened the gates, allowing the woman and man into the War room, showing them to Fire Lord Zuko. Suki and Ty Lee stood around the war table with other Fire Nation generals whilst Zuko sat upon his throne.

"Apologies for the interruption, Fire Lord!" One Royal Guard spoke as he bowed his head.

"The Yu Dao Child's family is here," The other Royal Guard added as Suki and Ty Lee's eyes widened, sweat breaking out on their brows.

"Send them in," Zuko firmly replied as the Royal Guards allowed the man and woman entry into the war room, both bowing their heads to Zuko as he snuffed out the flames which surrounded his throne before stepping down to greet the couple.

"I must say, I didn't think you'd be coming, after the hundreds of letters I sent," Zuko jokingly told them as he approached.

"I think there may have been someone intercepting your letters, we only received one!" The man informed Zuko as Suki twisted her head to Ty Lee, glaring at her as Ty Lee lightly grimaced.

"Ty Lee, can you fetch Khana for us?" Zuko asked as Ty Lee stood up, bowing her head before running towards the chamber of the Kyoshi Warriors.

"Khana? You named her?" The woman asked as Zuko nodded, gesturing to Suki.

"Suki and Ty Lee have been Surrogate parents for her over the years," Zuko explained as Suki stood before them. Moment passing by before Ty Lee returned with Khana, dressed in traditional Kyoshi Warrior attire, causing the man and woman to gasp.

"What is she wearing!?" The woman exclaimed as the man clasped his hands on her shoulders.

"That would be the attire of a Kyoshi Warrior," Suki informed them as the woman and man dis-pleasingly looked at her.

"Who are these people, Master?" Khana quietly asked as she leant into Ty Lee, looking at the visitors with an unsure gaze.

"You know, it's fine to just call me Ty Lee. And these people are your family!" Ty Lee replied, trying to encourage Khana.

"But... you and Master Suki are my family," Khana sheepishly told her.

"Well, your proper family is here now, girl!" The woman called over as Ty Lee nudged Khana's shoulder, gesturing for the Young Kyoshi Warrior to walk over to them.

Khana cautiously ventured over to the man and woman, worryingly looking at them.

"Hello..." Khana greeted them, her stance crouched with hands poised over her daggers.

"There's no need to be so cautious, Khana. They're not here to hurt you!" Suki calmly reassured her as the young Kyoshi Warrior turned to her master, then back to the man and woman.

"Why are you here?" Khana nervously asked, sweat building on her brow.

"Why we're here to take you home, back to Yu Dao!" The woman told her, but Khana raised a sceptical eyebrow.

"...I am home, this is my home," Khana replied, straightening her posture as she looked to the man and woman.

"No, this is not your home. Your home is Yu Dao! Now come, we're leaving!" The man replied as he reached out towards Khana, his hand outstretching to clutch her arm. Suki attempted to stop him, but Zuko raised his hand to her, stopping Suki in her tracks.

As the man's hand inched ever closer, Khana's energy surged through her body, a spiritual power awakening inside her.

"No! I am not leaving with you!" Khana shouted, striking out her fist as a monolithic rock shot out of the ground, striking and cracking the man's ribs before blasting him to the ground.

Zuko, Suki and Ty Lee stood in shock as Khana's eyes widened, her outstretched arm shaking as the woman backed away from Khana.

"You made her into a monster!" the woman cried as she picked up her accomplice, running from the war room as Khana's heart sank, the woman's words echoing in her head. But the echoing words faded as the hands of Suki and Ty Lee patted her shoulders.

"Don't listen to her, Khana," Suki adamantly spoke.

"You're no monster! You're an Earth-bender!" Ty Lee told her in an encouraging voice as she mimicked earth-bender poses.

"An... Earth-bender?" Khana asked as she rolled her fingers, clenching them into a fist as she smirked at herself.

"Is there anyone who could teach me how to use this?" Khana asked, curious to explore her newfound powers.

"I know someone... but she might be tough to work with," Suki uneasily replied.

"If you're referring to Toph, she'll be hard to track down. Ever since Aang passed and Sokka took up his position as Chief of the Southern Water Tribe. Toph retired as Police Chief and now ventures the four nations," Zuko informed Suki.

"Oh, yeah... I forgot about that..." Suki replied as her posture slumped, but Khana patted Suki on her shoulder.

"No need to worry, Master Suki! I'll try to work out this 'Earth-bending' on my own!" Khana confidently told her, bowing to Zuko, Suki and Ty Lee before departing, wondrously looking at her hands.


	5. The Right Hand Rises

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Khana continues spinning her tale, and concludes with how she ascended to the position of 'Right Hand of the Fire Lord'

Over the next ten years, Khana studied in the ways of earth-bending but found it conflicted with her original fighting style of Twin Daggers, being trained to be nimble and fast countered the sturdy nature of her earth-bending powers.

The now twenty-one-year-old Khana hung her legs atop a bar supported by two earthen pillars, the sun beating down on her as she exercised, pulling herself up and letting herself flow back down with her core muscles. Suki approached Khana, watching the oblivious Kyoshi Warrior exercise. Clearing her throat and grasping Khana's attention, breaking her focus as her legs slipped from the bar, flopping on to the ground with a mighty thud.

"Are you okay, Khana?" Suki worryingly asked as she picked Khana up.

"I've had worse... I think," Khana replied as her head swung around. Suki helped Khana up to her feet, as the Kyoshi Warrior pulled the earthen pillars back into the ground, snatching the bar out of the air before standing in front of her master.

"You said you wanted to talk to me?" Suki asked as Khana took a deep breath.

"Well... You and Master Ty Lee taught me the ways of Twin Daggers since I couldn't cut it with Katanas, Fans and Shields... but it's interfering with my Earth-bending," Khana explained as she gazed at the sunken pillars.

"Khana, you don't have to stick to _one_ fighting style, what you need to do is learn to adapt. Not every fighting style is going to be nimble and fast-paced, just like not every fighting style is sturdy and slow," Suki replied, lightly chuckling as she crossed her arms.

"Take the Avatar, for example, they have to learn the four bending styles, all of which differ from one another, but even so: they can master all of them," Suki added.

"So, you're saying I need to be an Avatar?" Khana bluntly asked as Suki blankly looked back.

"... I think you hit your head harder than I thought," Suki muttered as she and Khana chuckled.

"What I'm saying is: You can switch up your fighting styles between Earth-bending and your Twin Daggers, just learn when one is better suited over the other," Suki explained whilst Khana nodded.

"Thank you, Master Suki!" Khana replied with a bow, as the two sauntered through the Kyoshi Warrior training grounds, seeing Ty Lee train an entire legion of them by herself, and as the two approached, a thought popped into Suki's mind.

"Khana, have you ever tried seeing with your feet?" Suki bluntly asked as Khana stopped dead in her tracks, raising a quizzical eyebrow to her master.

"Apologies Master Suki, but... what?" Khana replied as Suki realised how poorly she worded her question.

"Oh, uh... have you ever tried using Seismic Sense?" Suki rephrased her question as Khana thought to herself.

"I haven't no... what is it?" Khana curiously asked as she walked back up alongside Suki.

"It's an ability a friend of mine is a master with. It allows you to detect vibrations in the ground, making it so you can pinpoint the positions of people or objects," Suki explained, but Khana crossed her arms.

"Why would I need that?" Khana dismissively asked.

"Sight is something we all take for granted, and when it's taken, most of us don't have an alternative, and we doom ourselves to fall because of it," Suki dauntingly explained as Khana's arms dropped.

"Could you help me learn?" Khana asked, but Suki smiled, turning to the other Kyoshi Warriors.

"Don't you mean, 'can _we_ help'?" Suki replied as she gestured to the Kyoshi Warriors. Ty Lee and the other Kyoshi Warriors ceased their training, looking to Suki and Khanam the Kyoshi Warrior nervously wincing as she waved to them.

"Kyoshi Warriors! It's time to teach our Earth-bender Seismic Sense!" Suki commanded them.

The Kyoshi Warriors and Ty Lee gathered around Khana whilst Suki handed Khana a blindfold, the Kyoshi Warrior grasping it with a confused look.

"Remember, Seismic Sense is best used when your vision is impaired," Suki reminded her before joining the other Kyoshi Warriors. Khana briefly covered her eyes, concealing her vision in total darkness.

Khana took a firm stance, sensing for the vibrations in the ground, awaiting an attack, but without warning, a Kyoshi Warrior stepped forward, hurling one of her fans at Khana, she turned to the direction of the fan, but the fan struck her head, making the Kyoshi Warrior wince back as she grasped her injured noggin.

"Are you alright, Khana?" Suki called over to her.

"I'll be fine!" Khana replied as another Kyoshi Warrior hurled a fan towards her, striking the backside of her head.

The Kyoshi Warriors trained Khana in the ways of Seismic sense for hours, the sun hanging just above the horizon as Khana stood firm on the outside, but bashed her head against a wall on the inside.

One last Kyoshi Warrior stepped forward, the vibrations of her step surging along the ground and over to Khana, The blindfolded Kyoshi Warrior's eyes widening as she turned to the Kyoshi Warrior, her hand poised to strike, and with a flick of the wrist, Khana pushed a piece of the earth beneath the Kyoshi Warrior, tripping her up and smacking her down to the ground.

Suki and Ty Lee cheered as Khana took off her blindfold, staring at the fallen Kyoshi Warrior and the bits of rubble by her.

"I finally did it!" Khana exclaimed as Suki and Ty Lee marched over to her with hearty smiles.

"Well done, Khana!" Suki congratulated her with a pat on the back.

"Rest for the night, Kyoshi Warriors! We'll pick up where we left off tomorrow!" Ty Lee commanded them as the Kyoshi Warriors bowed their heads and exited the training grounds.

Khana trained with Seismic Sense for the next three months, gaining a basic grasp of the technique.

A half-moon hung high in the night sky among a sea of stars whilst Khana led a patrol of Kyoshi Warriors around the perimeter of the Fire Nation Capital. The team of three deftly ventured along the perimeter, but as they did, Khana spied a light inside a cave, her eyes widening.

"There are people down there! Pantu, Jia, keep an eye on them whilst I report back to Masters Suki and Ty Lee!" Khana quietly commanded, gently placing her head to Jia's before leaving them and as she departed for the royal palace, Pantu and Jia looked to one another then to the cave camp.

Khana returned to the Palace, quickly rallying Suki, Ty Lee and a handful of other Kyoshi Warriors, leading them to where she left Pantu and Jia.

"Over here!" Khana whispered as the team approached, but Pantu and Jia were missing, and the light inside the cave vanished as Khana let out a sharp gasp.

"Is everything alright, Khana? Where's your patrol?" Suki curiously asked as Khana frantically looked around the perimeter.

"I told them to wait here..." Khana told her as she clutched the sides of her hair, Suki walked over to the fear-stricken Kyoshi Warrior, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sure they're fine, they probably scared off whoever was camping out in that cave," Suki reassured her as the Kyoshi Warriors departed back to the Palace, but the air sent a chill down Khana's spine as a pit in her stomach grew.

The other Kyoshi warriors and Ty Lee departed to their chambers whilst Suki and Khana stood outside the gates.

"Master Suki... I fear there may be an attack," Khana nervously told her, but Suki perplexingly looked at her.

"Is this about the cave people?" Suki half-jokingly asked.

"Yes, they disappeared, and so did Pantu and Jia... I fear the Fire Lord's life is in danger!" Khana protested.

"If you think he's in danger, then watch him like a hawk whilst he finishes his war room meeting," Suki replied, trying to not sound too sarcastic.

"I will!" Khana firmly replied before departing.

"I hope you're wrong, Khana... but if not, good luck!" Suki muttered to herself as Khana turned around, raising a curious eyebrow

"Did you say something, Master Suki?" Khana asked as Suki lightly scoffed.

"No, don't mind me. Now get going!" Suki commanded as Khana nodded, heading into the palace, embedding herself into the walls and scurrying her way into the War Room.

The flames of the Fire Lord's throne crackled with a peaceful blaze as several generals surrounded a war table. Their words inaudible to Khana, but she stayed atop the ceiling, monitoring Fire Lord Zuko as the meeting went along as normal.

But the shattering of glass radiated around the chamber as smoke covered the room, the generals coughing and wheezing before passing out, Zuko soon joining them. Khana's eyes widened as she pulled out the blindfold Suki gave her, quickly tying it around her mouth before descending to the ground, her feet smacking on the floor, vibrations coursing along the ground unto Khana's feet, as she closed her eyes, pinpointing several assassins in front of her.

Khana unsheathed her Daggers, hurling them at two of the closest assassins before swiftly retracting them, detecting the vibrations once more, pinpointing another assassin trying to kidnap Zuko. The merciless Kyoshi Warrior swiftly twisted around, hurling a dagger at the would-be kidnapper, piercing their neck and swiftly ripping it out as Zuko fell to the floor as the assassin bled out beside him.

The vibrations of the assassins coursed along the ground once more as Khana dashed back around, standing firm and striking fists out, erecting two monoliths of earth and piercing through the assassins.

The smoke cleared, and the carnage Khana had done became clear before her. But before she could revel in her bloody victory, a stream of heat shot out from behind the archway leading into the war room and with a swift flick of the wrists, Khana raised a wall of earth, but the stream of heat exploded, blasting Khana back into the Fire Lord's throne, the blast and Khana's sudden thud awakening Zuko.

"What... Khana?" Zuko groggily spoke as he observed his surroundings.

"Fire Lord, stay behind me!" Khana told him as she heard another heat stream close in on them, raising another wall which crumbled with ease.

"What's happening!?" Zuko exclaimed as the two stood up, standing side by side.

"Assassins! And a new one's just appeared!" Khana exclaimed as another stream of heat approached them, but try as she might, the wall Khana erected crumbled once again.

"Combustion man?" Zuko asked as Khana looked over the piles of rubble, seeing a tall slender figure emerging in the distance. A long braided ponytail draped down her back and her eyes were a piercing amber.

"Correction: Combustion _woman_ ," Khana replied as another Combustion stream travelled towards them, Khana raised another wall but the sheer power of the explosion launched her back.

"Do you know how to best a Combustion... person, Fire Lord?" Khana asked as Zuko nodded.

"Aim for the mark on her forehead!" Zuko informed her as Khana pulled out one of her daggers, pinching it by the blade as she leapt out from behind the rubble, flicking her wrist and propelling the blade towards the Combustion woman as she began charging another stream.

The rear bolster of the dagger struck the Combustion woman directly in her forehead, making her wince backwards as she clutched her forehead and without hesitation Khana charged the Combustion Woman with another dagger in hand, leaping in towards her, poised to strike, but a gust of wind knocked the Kyoshi Warrior out of the air, smashing her into the ground.

"What!?" Khana exclaimed as she saw a grey-haired and bearded man stood to her right and an armless water-bender to her left.

"Fire Lord! Get out of here while you can!" Khana shouted to him, but he stayed and observed Khana.

The armless water-bender struck out with an aqua tendril, ensnaring Khana's ankle as she pulled The Kyoshi Warrior to the ground, however, Khana quickly pulled up the ground to push her back up, as she slapped her hands together, making a chunk of earth break away the watery tendril before leaping in at the grey man.

With every step the Grey man took, the vibrations surged over Khana, anticipating his attacks and deftly evading them, and as the Grey man prepared his attack, Khana locked his feet in the earth, trapping him as she dashed in, slashing at his left eye and just glancing his eyebrow before striking all his frontal pressure points as the armless water-bender struck out another watery tendril, but before it could latch onto Khana, she leapt over the grey man, descending behind him and chopping into his neck as the grey man fell to the floor.

The armless water-bender stood before Khana, turning her watery arms into four different tendrils as she struck them out at Khana. However, the Kyoshi Warrior ducked and dived out of the way of her attacks, slowly closing the gap between the two before hurling one of her daggers, pinning the armless water-benders foot as she punched her fist up, trapping her in the earth and dispersing the water.

Khana took a deep breath, gazing at the three incapacitated assassins, but the ground began heating beneath her, and with a quick thrust of her fist: she shot herself away from the ground, seeing it transform into Lava before her very eyes, gawking at it in awe.

Khana landed on the ground, noticing a long-haired man in the archway, Khana ran towards the man, her confidence getting the better of her as she leapt over the lava, intending to strike him down, but she had miscalculated the jump, beginning her descent into the lava, the long-haired man smirked to himself as he saw Khana fall, but upon inspecting his fallen comrades, he changed his mind, striking his fist out and shooting out a chunk of earth at Khana, striking her breastplate and knocking her back to the other side of the lava, landing on her back as she tumbled towards Zuko.

The long-haired man gathered his comrades, escorting them from the war room before the lava turned back to earth.

"Fire Lord! With all due respect, I told you to run!" Khana told him as she knelt before him.

"I wanted to watch you," Zuko nonchalantly replied as Khana's head perked up.

"Watch me?" Khana quizzically asked as Zuko nodded.

"Those people you fought were The Red Lotus. A group of extraordinary benders. And well, you just took three out of four of them down single-handed, as well as their band of assassins," Zuko explained, but as he mentioned the Assassins, Khana planted her foot in the ground, scanning the palace and spying one more assassin heading towards the Fire Lord's chambers, where Jin rested.

"Pardon me, Fire Lord Zuko!" Khana abruptly spoke before charging towards the Fire Lord's chambers, parting the walls as she kept an 'eye' on the assassin she sensed.

The assassin loomed over the peacefully sleeping Jin, with a knife poised ready to strike as Khana deftly appeared behind them; piercing their throat with her dagger as she covered their mouth.

"Shush now, she's sleeping!" Khana whispered as she dragged the assassin back through the opening in the wall, closing it behind her. Swiftly reopening it and cleaning up a small drop of spilt blood by the wall before closing the wall again. Khana quickly scanned the Palace once more, sensing for Izumi, the Fire Nation Princess' chambers, sensing no other presence within before returning to the war room with the assassin in tow, throwing them onto the pile with their dead assassin comrades.

"Apologies for my abrupt exit. Your wife was in danger," Khana spoke with a bow as Zuko looked at the now dead assassin, then to Khana with awe.

"Khana, I don't know how you got in here before the attack, but you've saved my life and that of my family... what would you say to a promotion?" Zuko told her, but Khana's eyebrow sceptically raised.

"A... 'promotion'?" Khana curiously asked.

"Yes, you can remain a Kyoshi Warrior. But I'd like for you to be my Right hand, a protector of sorts," Zuko explained as Khana's eyes widened, gratefully kneeling before Zuko.

"It would be an honour, Fire Lord Zuko!" Khana replied, containing her excitement as Zuko smiled at her.

"Rise, Khana. I want you to get the other Kyoshi Warriors and remaining Royal Guards to scout the entire capital, make sure The Red Lotus doesn't plague these lands!" Zuko commanded her as Khana affirmatively nodded, departing from the war room, whilst Zuko returned to his chambers, seeing Jin peacefully asleep.

Khana rallied the Kyoshi Warriors and Royal Guard, commanding them to scout the capital, all scouting in groups whilst Khana ventured around on her own.

Whilst venturing on the rooftops, Khana could sense a presence behind her, swiftly twisting around to see the long-haired man with her dagger in hand.

"I think you dropped this," The long-haired man told her as he handed Khana's dagger back to her, Khana cautiously sheathed the dagger behind her, glaring at the long-haired man.

"I have to say, a small chunk of earth on the handle is quite ingenious," The long-haired man commented.

"Who are you?" Khana asked as she remained poised to strike.

"My name is Ghazan, and as you're probably already aware: I am one of four _known_ members of The Red Lotus," Ghazan politely explained.

"I take it you're trying to not be my enemy here?" Khana asked as she lowered her hand, Ghazan smirking as she did.

"I'm here to make a proposition. You waste your talents here, girl. You serve as a Kyoshi Warrior, bodyguard to the Fire Lord when you could be so much more!" Ghazan explained to her, but Khana simply scoffed.

"So much more?" Khana curiously asked, taking Ghazan's bait.

"I'm making you an offer to join The Red Lotus! Believe me, you wouldn't be the first Kyoshi Warrior to join us," Ghazan told her, smirking to himself at his latter comment as Khana's eyes widened.

"Pantu... and Jia..." Khana muttered, gritting her teeth.

"Yes, they've already abandoned the capital. They figured someone would find out after this," Ghazan informed her as Khana remained silent with her fists clenched.

"And if you join us, I'll teach you how to bend lava!" Ghazan tried to sweeten the deal, bending three rocks in his hand into a spiralling disc of lava as Khana stared at it in awe, smiling at Ghazan.

"Well, Ghazan. You have yourself..." Khana spoke, raising her hand to him as Ghazan extended his hand out to her.

"No deal!" Khana exclaimed, slashing out with a dagger and startling Ghazan as he stumbled backwards, losing his balance as Khana's dagger loomed over him. Ghazan swiftly bent the tiles of the roof onto his body, rolling off the building and down to the ground.

"You'll regret this, girl!" Ghazan shouted as he retreated to The Red Lotus encampment.

Khana scoffed at him before returning to the palace interior, resting in her chambers for the night.

The next day, Zuko gathered the Kyoshi Warriors, Suki and Ty Lee before him and Khana, holding an emerald circlet in his hand.

"Kyoshi Warriors, as you may know. A group of Red Lotus Assassins made an attempt on my life last night. And if it weren't for Khana, I would have surely died," Zuko informed them as the Kyoshi Warriors looked to one another, chatter erupting amongst them whilst Suki and Ty Lee gawked at each other.

"So it is with great respect that I grant Khana, student and surrogate daughter to Suki and Ty Lee, the Title 'Right hand of The Fire Lord'!" Zuko announced as he placed the emerald circlet on Khana's head. The Kyoshi Warrior rose to her feet, the other Kyoshi Warriors clapping and cheering as Suki and Ty Lee ran up to Khana, forming a brief group hug.

"Thank you for everything, Master Suki and Ty Lee!" Khana told them with a smile as Zuko leant in towards Ty Lee.

"And thank you for intercepting all those messages," Zuko whispered to Ty Lee as an awkward grimace came over her face.

"You know about that?" Ty Lee nervously asked as Zuko nodded with a smirk.

Khana finished her tale. Everyone in the room wondrously staring whilst Li finished healing Khana's leg.

"Can you move it?" Li curiously asked as Khana pulled her leg up and stretched it out.

"Good as new! Thank you, Li!" Khana replied with a smile as Li stood up and sat next to Zu, looking to Khana to see if she had anything else to tell.

"Did anything happen after that?" Gao curiously asked.

"Suki left for the South Pole to live with Chief Sokka, Ty Lee became the leader of the Kyoshi Warriors, and now I'm here," Khana bluntly explained.

"Throughout your tale, you mentioned your parents died... did you ever try to find the bandits that killed them?" Hou asked, but Khana shook her head.

"No, I had no intentions of seeking revenge," Khana nonchalantly replied.

"But why?" Hou asked her as Khana let out a heavy sigh.

"This may seem cold-hearted. But why should I seek vengeance for people I never knew?" Khana bitterly asked as a silence fell over the room.

"Eh, she's got a point," Zu commented as he shrugged, breaking the silence. Everyone began telling their own tales to one another as the moon hovered behind the blanket of chaos, the light barely breaking through.


	6. Homebound

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kang returns to the Mortal World through the North Pole Spirit Portal, and with the help of Claire's parents, returns to the Earth Kingdom, finally returning home after fleeing twenty-five years ago.

Kang arrived back in The Nexus, spying a Spirit Portal which appeared filled with water, walking closer to it to inspect further, noticing two Fish circling one another.

"If I'm not mistaken, that's the Spirit Oasis in the North Pole!" Kang told himself as he stepped into the Portal, allowing the radiant light to consume him, but a realisation hit him as it did.

"I better hold my breath!" Kang told himself as he took in a deep breath. Kang emerged at the bottom of the Spirit Oasis, swimming upwards to the surface, struggling to hold on to his breath, however, he broke through the surface of the water and started catching his breath, heavily panting as he did.

"I should've taken those swimming lessons Eamon offered me..." He breathlessly told himself as he climbed out of the water.

Kang eventually got control of his breathing, taking another deep breath then exhaling slowly, heating his body and evaporating the water which soaked him, becoming dry as he let out a pleased moan before looking to the water with a curious stare.

"Spirit Water could come in handy..." Kang muttered to himself as he pulled a flask from his pouch, popping off the cork and filling it up with water from the oasis.

Kang popped the cork back on and proceeded out of the Spirit Oasis, looking around to see the empty town, and the sky a hazy black before gazing at the small device on his right wrist.

"It's one in the afternoon... why is everything so dark?" Kang perplexingly asked himself.

"And where is everyone..?" He worryingly asked himself. Kang explored the icy ghost town, keeping his guard up until he spied a lit fire within a house.

"At least there are still people here!" Kang told himself as he went to the house, knocking on the door.

The residents of the house cautiously walked to the door, opening it up to see Kang standing before them. What Kang didn't know is that it was the house of Claire's parents: Joseph and Norrak. Who quizzically stared at him.

"Kang! What are you doing here?" Joseph asked him with a quizzical shrug.

"I'm... on a personal quest, and I need a boat to get to the Earth Kingdom!" Kang explained as the flabbergasted Joseph and Norrak looked at him.

"Where's Claire? I thought she'd be with you?" Norrak asked as she lightly clutched her chest.

"Long story short, Talos gave Claire and I the boot into the Spirit World, she's there right now with my Great-Uncle," Kang explained as Joseph and Norrak's eyes widened, quickly pulling Kang into the house.

"Oh, my!" Kang exclaimed as Norrak froze the lock whilst Joseph guided Kang to the living room, sitting him down to interrogate him.

"It'll be safer in here... no one knows what's out there with all this darkness..." Joseph cautiously told him.

"What was that about Talos kicking you and our Claire into the Spirit World?" Norrak curiously asked.

"Talos disguised himself as Unalaq by using Flesh-Manipulation. Tricking Claire into trusting him and opening a spirit portal. He then used Spirit-Bending to rip out her Avatar Spirit and then used my Blade-Bending Prototype to sever my arm..." Kang explained as he held up his stump whilst Joseph and Norrak stared in blank silence.

"You know... I thought something was a bit off about Unalaq when he left..." Joseph said, breaking the silence in the room.

"But why would Talos do such a thing? He and Claire have been friends since birth!" Norrak sceptically asked.

"I don't know..." Kang replied as he shook his head. Joseph and Norrak looked to each other, inaudibly muttering to themselves before looking back at Kang.

"Your story is a little hard to believe, Kang..." Joseph pessimistically replied.

"But... we also think the story is a bit too unbelievable to be fabricated!" Norrak added.

"So, will you help me?" Kang optimistically asked, to which Joseph and Norrak both nodded.

"Great!" Kang replied as the three stood up.

"Do you need anything for that arm?" Joseph asked as he gestured to Kang's stump.

"Do you still have the box I gave you?" Kang swiftly asked as Joseph nodded, running upstairs; returning several seconds later.

"This one?" Joseph asked as he held the box up.

"That one!" Kang replied as Joseph held the box out to him.

Kang lit a fire atop his finger, placing it onto the four metal corners, causing them to pop off and the box to open, revealing a prosthetic arm.

Joseph and Norrak looked down in surprise, then to Kang with questions fluttering through their mind.

"Are you... Psychic or something?" Joseph asked sarcastically.

"Zu says I'm mad enough to be one!" Kang replied as he grabbed the Prosthetic Arm, quickly grafting it on and wiggling the fingers, appreciating his graft.

"Ah! Having two arms again is nice!" Kang heartily replied as Joseph and Norrak chuckled.

The two walked out of the house and down to the harbour, Joseph using his light-bending to guide the way, presenting a boat to Kang.

"Unalaq... well, Talos, took all the good boats. But this one should get you to the Earth Kingdom!" Joseph told Kang as he presented the dingy boat.

"Thank you, Joseph and Norrak!" Kang replied as he hopped aboard.

"Best of luck, Kang!" Norrak told him as she pulled the water in, pushing out and setting Kang off on his adventure into the Earth Kingdom.

Kang Sailed for over half a day through treacherous waves, brutal storms and the occasional rogue sea bird, just barely making it to the Earth Kingdom shores in one piece. However, the dingy boat lent to him wouldn't be sailing again.

Kang looked to the forest before him, a cold familiarity crawling over him as he walked towards it, venturing through the foliage and rocky paths, until the mad inventor found himself stood before an old Agni Kai arena, letting out a sharp gasp.

Visions of clouded his sight as a ringing pervaded his mind, the mad inventor shut his eyes, looking away, slowly catching his breath as he walked through the Agni Kai arena, burnt soil and piles of rubble surrounded the ground he walked on, until he reached a path leading to a large open area surrounded by trees and bamboo, more visions clouded his sight, seeing his younger self running down the path with his mother in his arms. Kang held his hand to his forehead, attempting to look away as he ventured forth, finally finding an old abandoned hut, letting out a shaky breath as he saw it, the ringing stopping as he gazed upon it.

"This is it... I'm... home!" Kang told himself as he slowly walked towards the Hut. Standing before the door, his whole body quaking as he reached towards the door, pressing his shaky hand upon it and lightly pushing it open, walking inside to see everything as it was.

Kang let out a shaky breath as he walked further into the hut, the old wooden floor creaking beneath his feet with each step. He first ventured into the kitchen of the hut, seeing fond memories of him and his mother helping each other to cook and clean, the dust settled atop every surface, much thicker than he'd imagined as he ran his prosthetic finger along the surface, seeing a topple over bag of rice and two plates set out near it.

Kang shook his head, turning back and walking away towards a staircase leading up to the second level of the hut. The mad inventor treaded lightly up the steps, not wanting to damage anything.

Upon reaching the top, Kang stood before two doors, his old bedroom, and his mother's bedroom, a pit built in his stomach as he approached the door on the right-hand side, slowly pressing his hand to it and pushing it open, as the door slowly swung open, Kang could see his mother's bed, remembering the times she'd read stories to him on rainy nights. Next to it stood a wooden bookshelf, lined with storybooks with a partially melted candle on top. Kang walked in, the floor creaking as his lip quivered and body shook, memories creeping in.

" _I'll run to the Village, I'll get whatever I can to help!"_ Young Kang's voice echoed in his mind

" _Kang, wait!"_ Azula's voice echoed in his mind.

Kang's heart weighed heavily as he walked further in, looking to the bookshelf with fond memories, but whilst inspecting it, the mad inventor discovered a leather book. He reached out to it, grasping the spine, and as he pulled it out, he noticed an item wrapped in cloth, reaching in with his Prosthetic hand to grasp it and pull it out from behind the books. Kang looked to the Leather book and then to the Cloth wrapped item.

"Knowing my mother... she'd want me to read this first..." Kang sombrely told himself as he sat upon the wooden floor, creaking underneath him as he placed the Cloth wrapped item beside himself, opening the Leather book to read its contents:

" _Kang, by the time you're reading this. I don't think I'll be with you anymore. I can feel my life ebbing away as I write this. I wanted to tell you the one story I never told you. My story,"_ Kang sombrely read as he flipped the page.

Azula remained in the Shadows of the Fire Nation, continuing her plot to turn Zuko into the Ruthless Fire Lord she thought he should be, sending waves of assassins after him, stirring up Chaos from the darkest corners of the Fire Nation, but try as she might: Azula could not break Zuko into the Ruthless Fire Lord she wanted, she tried for nineteen long years, the weight of failure slowly piling on top of her, verging on giving up as she sat inside a forest within the Fire Nation, looking to the crescent moon as a realisation dawned on her.

"If I can't make little ZuZu the Ruthless Fire Lord, he should be... I'll create my _own_ Fire Lord!" Azula spoke to herself as the seeds of her new plan sewed into her mind, setting out into a nearby village in search of a fire-bender worthy to use in her plan.

The Village was bustling as she entered. Over the years Azula's hair had grown out, styled into a topknot with her long unkempt hair draping down her back. She wore a dirty crimson and dull gold sleeveless shirt with a partially shredded black undershirt. Baggy maroon pants and knee-high red and gold boots adorned her lower body, and to the people of the village, she was unrecognisable as the Ex-Princess of the Fire Nation.

Azula strode through the village, encountering store vendors and several men trying to catch her attention, but none seem suitable to her until she reached the village's Tea House. Patrons filled the room, all calmly drinking their tea as a peaceful ambience filled the air. The Ex-Princess stepped in as a server eagerly approached her.

"Welcome to the Jade Lion Turtle, will you be drinking alone?" the server asked.

"For now, but the night is still young!" Azula bewitchingly replied as the server blushed, guiding Azula to a table.

"What would you like to order?" The server politely asked.

"Surprise me!" Azula replied with a wink, intending to keep the server away long enough for her to observe the Patrons of the Tea House.

The server left as Azula scanned the room, her golden eyes peering into every man of the Tea House, but an altercation between two patrons erupted, cutting her search short as a hefty hairless earth-bender flipped the table towards a well dressed, stylish Fire-bender sat across from him.

"You're getting on my nerves, Zin Bu, either cough up the gold or cough up your insides!" the Earth-bender shouted.

Zin Bu wore dark red nobleman's clothing, his black hair styled into a topknot and a small beard around his mouth, his amber eyes peering into the Earth-benders murky brown eyes.

"Kai Feng, I told you I already paid you and your workers, Is the stereotype of all earth-benders being hard-headed really that true?" Zin Bu sarcastically replied as Kai Feng swung his fist towards the snarky Fire-bender, who dodged his attack effortlessly, wagging his finger at him.

"Now, now, we're in a Tea house, not an earth rumble. Calm down before you hurt yourself!" Zin Bu told him, trying to avoid a fight as Azula continued to observe. Her fingers interwoven under her chin whilst she watched, Kai Feng's frustration erupted as he bent the earth beside him.

"Insides it is, Zin Bu!" Kai Feng shouted as he hurled two boulders towards the Snarky Fire-bender, one after another. However, Zin Bu weaved through them with ease, the other Patrons behind Zin Bu ran away as the boulders smashed through the walls of the Tea House.

"You really are quite the brute, Fengy!" Zin Bu taunted him.

"You do not call me 'Fengy'!" Kai Feng shouted as he bent up another boulder, but to his surprise, Zin Bu flicked a tiny fireball towards his hand, stinging and burning the palm of Kai Feng's hand as he dropped the boulder.

Zin Bu dashed forward, clapping his palms onto Kai Feng's ears, discombobulating the feckless Earth-bender as he attempted a wild counter-attack, which Zin Bu deftly avoided, followed up by kicking out a mighty blast of fire from his foot, scorching Kai Feng's body, as the scorching earth-bender frantically tried to extinguish the flames.

Zin Bu mercilessly struck Kai Feng's Diaphragm, knocking the wind out of him and sending the unconscious earth-bender to the ground, whilst Azula stared in amazement at Zin Bu's effortless take-down.

"Are there any Water-Benders here? This knucklehead could use a drop or two!" Zin Bu jested as Azula stood up from her table, strutting over to Zin Bu, almost immediately catching his attention.

"I see I have a fan already?" Zin Bu flirtatiously commented as Azula stood before him, placing her right hand to her hip as her left arm draped down by her side.

"Those were some sharp moves, Zin Bu!" Azula complimented him, trying to flirt.

"They were, weren't they? If they were any sharper, I could puncture the hull of a fire nation battleship with ease!" Zin Bu spoke with a chuckle before placing his hand to his chin.

"Then again, that would cause quite a few casualties..." He quizzically added as Azula let out a loud, awkward laugh at his comment, causing Zin Bu to raise a curious eyebrow.

"You have... quite the laugh," Zin Bu nervously commented as Azula sweated, awkward tension building in the air.

"So, what brings you to talk to the great Zin Bu, my... fine lady?" Zin Bu asked as he looked Azula up and down whilst Azula fixed her gaze on him.

"I haven't... how you say 'Socialised' for a long time, but after seeing your display against this thug of an Earth-bender," Azula spoke as she nudged Kai Feng with her foot.

"I just had to meet you!" She finished with a soft manipulative smile as Zin Bu smirked.

"I tend to have that effect on people. Is this the part where you try to whisk me away to start a tale of romance?" Zin Bu charmingly asked as Azula leant in, their faces inches from one another.

"Would you oppose it?" Azula seductively asked as Zin Bu's heart skipped a beat whilst he gazed into Azula's eyes.

"Not at all, but can I get your name first?" Zin Bu replied.

"My name is Azu- Mi, my name is Azumi..." Azula lied, nervously chuckling as Zin Bu thought to himself.

"Well, Azumi..." Zin Bu spoke, _"Odd name..."_ He thought as he paused.

"Allow me to take your hand as we begin our romantic endeavour!" Zin Bu charismatically spoke, outstretching his hand to Azula, who took it wholeheartedly.

Zin Bu guided Azula back to his manor, the two sharing a premium Fire Nation wine between themselves, as the gears of Azula's plan slowly turned.

As Kang read through the Leather book, he reached the part about his conception, pausing for a moment as he read through.

"Oh, my... You know... I think I'll skip to the next page," Kang told himself as he turned the page over.

"And the... next page," he nervously added, still seeing details about it.

"And the... next... page-" Kang said again, blushing with embarrassment as he flipped through two more pages, coming to the end of the conception part of the diary.

Azula waited for Zin Bu to be deep in his slumber, seizing the opportunity to sneak away in the middle of the night, picking up her clothing and adorning herself in them once more, trying to be as quiet as possible as to not disturb him.

The now fully clothed Azula slithered out of the window into the dead of night, making way to the Earth Kingdom, hoping Zin Bu would not trail her.

Azula travelled for days before reaching the shore of the Fire Nation, looking out to the vast ocean before seeing an abandoned boat which still appeared functional, taking it for herself and sailing away to the Earth Kingdom, and after a day of rough sailing, she landed on the southern shores of the Earth Kingdom, looking back to the Fire Nation with a sombre stare.

"I'll be back..." Azula softly growled as she looked to the horizon before her.

"But first I need to get deep into the Earth Kingdom... perhaps to the Northern Shore will be far enough in?" Azula told herself as she set off on her new journey.

Her adventure took three months to make it to the Northern Side of the Earth Kingdom, being assisted by travelling earth-benders and Ostrich-Horse riders, but most of the journey she made on foot until finding a conveniently secluded hut near a village, abandoned by its most recent tenants.

Over the next six months, Azula would sneak into the nearby village late at night to steal supplies from the village, stocking up a wealthy bounty of supplies for when Kang was born, and in time, Azula finally held Kang in her hands, maliciously smiling at the child, but deep beneath the malice, something had changed within her.


	7. Flames of the Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kang continues reading through his Mother's mid-life escapades, and how she came to be the mother he knew and loved.

Azula raised Kang within the seclusion of the hut, awaiting the day his Fire-bending came to fruition, but while she did, her mentality had changed, whenever Kang seemed in danger, she would rush to get him out of it, whenever Kang appeared upset, she would try to console him, she didn't know why she kept instinctively doing this, but when Kang's Fire-bending came to light at the age of six: The Ex-Princess remembered her plan to forge Kang into a weapon to use against her brother and to uphold him as the True Ruthless Fire Lord.

Azula distanced herself from Kang as she trained him to be the strongest Fire-bender the world would ever see. Three long and hard years of training forged Kang into an expert Fire-bender, but although he knew the forms like the back of his hand, he lacked the power to properly use them, but despite this, Azula decided it was time for his first Agni Kai.

The two stood inside the Arena on opposing sides, Azula standing tall and proud, ready for battle, whereas the nine-year-old Kang nervously looked around, unsure what to make of the situation.

"It's time for your first Agni Kai, Boy!" Azula sharply spoke.

"What's an... Agni Koi?" The young Kang asked whilst Azula blankly stared at him for his mispronunciation.

"It's Agni _Kai_ , Boy. K-a-i" Azula bitterly replied, to which Kang apologised.

"An Agni Kai is a duel between two Fire-benders, a duel of honour, and ends with the victor burning the defeated," Azula explained as the young Kang winced.

"I'm... not sure about this, mama," the young Kang nervously replied.

"Oh, don't worry, boy. If you don't refuse to fight and go down with honour, I won't burn you. But if you cower on the floor begging for mercy, I will have none to spare!" Azula maliciously spoke as the Young Kang froze up, his heart skipping a beat as his legs quaked.

"Don't back down, got it!" the young Kang nervously replied as he raised his fists, to which Azula smiled.

"The Agni Kai begins now!" Azula shouted as she mercilessly kicked out a blast of sapphire flame, but Kang quickly ducked underneath it, rolling forward and unleashing a small blast of fire at Azula, but she snuffed it out with a wall of blue fire.

"Come on! I know you can do better, boy!" Azula shouted as she leapt into the air, kicking out her leg and bringing down an arch of Azure flame as fear washed over Kang's face, the young boy rolled to the side, his heart racing as he saw Azula land.

Azula unleashed a powerful stream of cerulean fire, keeping her merciless eyes on Kang as he tried to block the onslaught of flames, but the sheer power ultimately knocked him down, wracking his body with exhaustion, he rolled onto his back, looking to Azula with a hazy gaze.

"Stand up, boy! You can still fight!" Azula cruelly demanded as her blue flames grew in the palms of her hands. Kang tried to stand up but inevitably fell onto his stomach, lifting his head to Azula.

"Please... don't, I can't fight anymore..." Kang agonisingly spoke as he looked to his mother, but rage came over Azula's face as she glared down at him.

"You will rise and fight, boy!" Azula sharply told him, her voice echoing with malice as she raised her right hand to the sky, creating a large azure flame in her hand.

"I'm... too exhausted to fight on," Kang tried to reason with her, but Azula simply gazed down at him with her piercing golden eyes.

"How _Disappointing_! I warned you, boy! This will be a lesson you will remember, and suffering shall be your teacher!" Azula furiously spoke, echoing her father's words as Kang cowered on the ground, looking away from the blazing blue flames, but as the Ex-Princess brought her flames down, the pained cries of Zuko pervaded her mind, the memories of watching Ozai burn Zuko's face, hearing the words Iroh muttered echoed in her mind.

" _How could you do that to your own son?"_ Iroh's voice echoed as the flame on Azula's hand slowly sputtered out. The Ex-Princess gazed into the distance, her posture slumping, her breath shaking.

"I'm... becoming no better than my father," Azula sombrely spoke as she gazed at the hand she intended to use against Kang, slowly letting it drop to her side, then gazing at the still cowering Kang.

"I... won't use him as a weapon, they never showed me love... but that doesn't mean I should treat him the same way," Azula told herself as a tear streaked out of her eye.

The Ex-Prince knelt before Kang, softly placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Kang?" Azula softly spoke as Kang flinched, perking his head up and seeing Azula knelt before him.

"You're... not going to burn me?" Kang nervously asked as Azula softly smiled.

"No, I'm not go-" Azula spoke as Kang immediately threw himself at her, hugging her tightly. Kang's sudden act flustered the Ex-Princes, unsure how to respond as she quizzically looked at him.

"I hope this is okay to do?" Kang nervously asked as Azula smiled again.

"Of course it is..." Azula replied as she hugged him back, an odd warmth blooming inside her as the two hugged.

From that day forward, Azula repaired her relationship with Kang, trying to show him the motherly love she never received, having Kang as her son made her give up on her goal of creating her own Ruthless Fire Lord, her only goal in life now was to raise Kang with the utmost love she could give him. Azula would read a story to him every night, The two would cook and clean the hut together and go up to a hillside on days out. The two still trained together in the ways of Fire-bending, Kang eventually becoming a Master by the age of Sixteen and inheriting Azula's signature Blue flames.

Azula stood within the kitchen of the hut, the sun beating through the window as she stood next to two aligned plates with a small bag of rice next to them. Azula lit a flame under a cauldron of water, reaching out to the rice as her hand quaked, slowly grasping as her breath shook.

"Hey, Mother!" Kang greeted her as he swung through the doorway, startling Azula and making her drop the rice, her heart racing as she chuckled and turned to him.

"Kang! What have I told you about sneaking up on me?" Azula lightly scolded him as Kang awkwardly looked away.

"Only do it during emergencies?" Kang sarcastically replied as Azula slanted her gaze, putting a hand to her hip as Kang nervously chuckled.

"Could we... have another Agni Kai?" Kang asked, his voice riddled with enthusiasm as Azula briefly gasped, quizzically looking back at him.

"Sure, dear. Exercise before a meal is a good thing after all," Azula told him with a smirk as she walked towards him, her stride slightly limped.

"I'm sure you're still fighting fit, Mother!" Kang responded with an upbeat attitude as he walked with her to the Agni Kai arena.

The two ventured up to the Agni Kai arena, but as they did Azula lightly clasped her chest, stumbling forward, but Kang caught her before she could fall any further.

"Are you alright?" Kang nervously asked, looking her up and down as Azula regained her breath.

"I'm fine, Kang. Just tripped on a rock," Azula lied, standing back up straight as she took a deep breath whilst Kang slowly nodded.

"Let's keep going!" Azula told him as she ventured towards the Agni Kai arena, shortly followed by Kang.

The two had scorched the grounds of the Agni Kai arena from their years of training, now appearing to be more of an ashy black rather than its original dirt brown.

Azula and Kang stood on opposing Sides, both raising their fists before engaging each other. Kang unleashed kicks of mighty azure fire towards Azula, who ducked and weaved through the attacks, counter-attacking with a stream of cerulean flame, however, Kang blocked the attack by erecting a wall of impenetrable blue flame.

The wall ceased as the two stood against each other once more. Azula swept her leg along the ground, unleashing a low wave of sapphire flame, but Kang leapt over it, landing on his palms, his backed facing Azula as he kicked out a plume of azure fire. Azula scoffed, swiping her arms and snuffing out the flames, and as Kang leapt back to his feet, Azula pointed her fingers towards the ground, lifting them and circling them to her side, lightning crackling along her fingers as she lunged forward, letting loose a bolt of lightning, but Kang pointed his fingers towards the bolt, bringing his arm in, down then out to his opposite side, unleashing the bolt into the air.

Azula clutched her chest once more, her arms tensing up as her legs quaked whilst Kang smugly looked to the cascading lightning, turning to his mother as his gaze nervously slanted.

"Are you okay, mother?" Kang asked, cautiously walking to her.

"I'm... fine," Azula breathlessly lied as her left arm numbed.

"Are you sure? We can stop if you..." Kang replied, but Azula unleashed a violent crescent of sapphire flame, Kang's eyes widening as he leapt over it, watching it crash into the surrounding foliage and earth.

"Alright, you're fine," Kang nervously replied as Azula smirked, kicking out waves of cerulean fire, as Kang brushed them aside before swinging his arms around, lightning crackling as he lunged forward, Azula saw the bolt approach as her she kicked out another wave, but the Ex-princess quickly improvised, leaping up with her second foot and catching the bolt, redirecting it up her leg and kicking it out behind her as she flipped back onto her feet, smugly gazing at Kang as the earth crumbled behind her.

"Now when were you going to teach me that one?" Kang sarcastically asked.

"Maybe later, I just thought of it," Azula breathlessly chuckled. Kang smirked, swinging his fist out and unleashing a crescent of azure flame as Azula tried to parry, but her arms seized, the heat of the flame closing in on her. The Ex-princess' eyes widened as Kang worryingly raised his eyebrows.

"MOTHER!" Kang shouted as the flames struck Azula, her screams piercing his ears as she fell to the ground.

"Mother?! Are you alright? I'm sorry, I'm so sorry I got carried away I-" Kang frantically spoke as he threw himself down to her, gazing upon her burnt clothes and skin, but Azula raised her hand to tell him to calm down.

"I'm... alright, Kang..." Azula softly lied, trying to reassure him, but the burn marks across her skin and the burns in her clothes said otherwise as Kang welled up as his hysterically breathing as he shook his head.

"N-no, you're not alright... I need to get you back to the hut!" Kang told her as he lifted her off the ground, carrying her back to her hut and up to her bedroom, laying her down in her bed, the Ex-Princess gazing at Kang as he frantically placed her down.

"Kang..." Azula softly spoke as Kang placed his hand to her face, seeing a tear streak down Azula's face.

"I'll run to the Village, I'll get whatever I can to help!" Kang told her as he began running out of her bedroom.

"Kang, Wait!" Azula cried out as she outstretched her arm to him, but her calls fell on deaf ears as Kang sprinted out of the hut towards the nearby village.

Azula's arm dropped, her life slowly ebbing away as she looked to an empty leather diary on her bookshelf, reaching out to it and grasping the quill pen from nearby.

" _With my dying breath, I want you to know. I'm sorry for the way I treated you when you were young, and I'm sorry I lied to you. But I still love you, Kang and I always will, even in death. I've left a gift behind with this diary. If you ever find it. Be strong, Kang. And never forget who you are,"_ Kang finished reading, closing the book with a soft drop of the leather cover as his heart sank, placing the book down, his eyes welling up as he looked to the ceiling and clutched his stomach.

"There's just... one last thing to do..." Kang painfully told himself, grasping the leather book and cloth wrapped item as he stood up, placing them both in his pouch before leaving the hut for the last time.


	8. Burying Grief

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kang finally faces his past returning to his mother's grave, but an unexpected event happens at the peak of the hill.

Kang marched west from the hut, ploughing through the leaves and bamboo of the surrounding forest, which had overgrown onto the path he and Azula used to take up to a hillside. Eventually, he walked out into a large clearing, spotting a hill with a giant tree atop it, Kang's heart grew heavy as he gazed upon it, remembering how he pushed her body up the hill inside the remains of a boat the two planned to go sailing in, taking a deep, shaky breath before pressing on.

The Tree became more distinct as he approached; but also something else: Blue flowers surrounded the hilltop, like a beacon of cerulean light amidst the black blanket of Chaos that cloaked the world.

"Blue flowers... I don't remember planting these..." the bewildered Kang muttered as he marched forward, coming to the beginning of a stone path leading up to the tree.

A small red chest atop a pillar of the earth stood before him, tiny clasps of earth locked onto the legs of the tiny chest, there was no lock on the box, and Kang's curiosity got the better of him, opening it to see a letter addressed to him. Kang opened the letter and began reading the contents of it.

 _"Dear, Kang. I don't know if you'll ever read this since I don't think this is a place you want to return to. But after you told Li, Eamon and myself about what happened to your mother, we came here to pay our respects to her. We didn't know her, but we know you loved her. And that was good enough for us. Li and Eamon planted some Sapphire Lilies around the hilltop you told us about... At least I hope this is the right hilltop,"_ Kang read, softly chuckling at the latter part before he continued reading.

_"We picked them out because they reminded me of your fire-bending. If you ever read this Kang, we wish you the best."_

" _From your friendly unorganised criminals: Zu, Eamon & Li, P.S. Gai, Kane and Kaz say 'hi'" _Kang read as a tear streaked out from underneath his goggles, folding it back up and placing it in his pouch.

Kang gazed at the large tree before him, a lump growing in his throat as he slowly walked towards it, his heart weighing heavily on him as his legs quaked, slowly approaching the tree, and as Kang stood at its base, the weight of his grief made him collapse to his knees, as his head hung low.

"I'm here... mother," Kang softly spoke as his voice broke through the pain, but he didn't know where to begin, kneeling by the front of the tree in silence.

But as he knelt there, small amounts of petals from the Sapphire Lillies began flowing in the wind, spiralling around Kang and the tree, and as the mad inventor tried to get his words out, an odd presence hung in the air as a soft touch graced his right cheek.

Kang slowly raised his head, seeing a translucent blue figure knelt before him, Azula's spirit had come to him. Kang's lips quivered, looking into his mother's eyes as he stumbled over his words.

"Hello, Kang," Azula's Spirit greeted him with a smile as Kang slowly raised his shaking hand towards her cheek.

"Mother, is that... really you?" Kang asked in disbelieve as Azula's Spirit nodded.

"It is, I've been here for a long time, Kang," Azula's Spirit softly replied as the petals flowed in the wind.

"Is it true that... you lied that day?" Kang asked as his voice choked, looking to Azula as she gazed to the ground, slanting her eyebrows, before looking into Kang's goggles.

"Yes... I kept my... health a secret because I didn't want you to worry..." Azula's Spirit sombrely told him as Kang tried to keep himself together, his heart racing, his body shaking.

"And because of that... I killed you..." Kang replied as his voice cracked as Azula sadly scoffed.

"I... am just as much to blame for what happened that day, if I hadn't lied..." Azula told him, losing her words as Kang sobbed

"I've hated myself for what I did... I was a fool who took a stupid Agni Kai too far!" Kang angrily spoke to himself, quaking all over like a dam ready to burst as Azula's Spirit let out a heavy sigh.

"You never intended to kill me, I know you would never do something like that," Azula's Spirit spoke as she gazed into Kang's goggles, but Kang remained silent, turning his gaze to the ground as Azula's Spirit stretched out her hand, placing it on Kang's shoulder, causing him to lift his head back up.

"Although it was an accident... We are both to blame for what happened. But we need to let the past go. Because killer or not. I love you, Kang!" Azula's Spirit told him as tears broke out from behind Kang's goggles, the mad inventor collapsing to his knees, swiftly followed by Azula.

"Let it out, Kang. Let the pain go!" Azula's Spirit told him as Kang's tears flowed. Time passed by as Kang let his grief and shame flow out from him while Azula's Spirit consoled him. The two standing back up and gazing at each other.

"Feel better now?" Azula asked in a hopeful tone as Kang let out a shaky breath.

"A little..." Kang shakily replied as Azula smiled.

"I have to ask... what's with the goggles?" Azula's Spirit asked, trying to change the subject as Kang placed his hand to the rim of them instinctively.

"My friend Zu... he gave them to me, to help me," Kang nervously replied.

"To help you?" Azula's Spirit quizzically responded.

"Every time I looked in a mirror and saw my eyes... I saw you, and they constantly reminded me of that day... so he gave me these Goggles which would stop me from seeing my eyes, and stop reminding me of how I... you know..." Kang explained as Azula's spirit smiled sadly at him.

"Would it be okay if you took them off?" Azula's Spirit asked as Kang fell silent, thinking it over before reaching around to the back of his head.

"For you... sure!" Kang happily spoke as he pressed a part which linked the two straps on either side of the goggles together, causing the straps to drape down before him, grasping the rims of the goggles as he took a deep breath, slowly removing his goggles whilst his hands shook.

Kang clutched the goggles in his prosthetic hand, drying his eyes with his right hand, slowly blinking and letting his eyes adjust to not wearing the goggles, revealing his eyes to be just like Azula's, his gold eyes gazing at his mother's spirit as a smile of joy came over her.

"It's good to see those eyes again," Azula's Spirit replied as Kang smiled back, a tear streaking from his eye.

"Did you get the gift I left with the journal?" Azula's Spirit asked as Kang nodded, pulling the cloth-wrapped item from his pouch and presenting it to Azula's Spirit.

"Well, unravel it!" Azula's Spirit told him with a short laugh as Kang slowly unravelled the cloth, revealing Azula's old hairpin, a red band adorned with a golden flame, the mad inventor quizzically observing it.

"It was mine during my time as Princess of the Fire Nation, it saved my life once... And I want you to have it, so I'll always be with you in some way," Azula's Spirit explained as Kang smiled at the hairpin, pulling his unkempt hair up into a ponytail at the crown of his head, sliding the Hairpin onto the ponytail and letting go of his hair as two short strands of hair draped at the sides of his forehead.

"How Do I Look?" Kang curiously asked.

"A bit like my younger self!" Azula's Spirit chuckled as Kang smiled.

"How has your fire-bending progressed over the years?" Azula's Spirit asked him.

"It's... well, I can't do the blue fire anymore," Kang nervously replied.

"What happened to it?" Azula's spirit asked as Kang's posture slumped.

"Similar situation with the goggles... my friend Kane helped me 'dampen my flame', and now I don't know if I can do blue fire anymore..." Kang disappointingly replied as he punched out a plume of red fire to his side, but Azula scoffed

"Well, let's reignite that flame, shall we!" Azula's spirit told him as she outstretched her hands to Kang, the mad inventor nervously grasping them as he looked into his mother's eyes.

"Take a deep breath and find your inner flame!" Azula's Spirit instructed him as the two closed their eyes. Kang looked within himself, seeing visions of a small red flame amidst a vast blackness.

"Do you see it?" Azula's spirit asked.

"Yes... smaller than I expected," Kang nervously replied.

"Let the flame grow. Let go of your grief. Let go of your shame. Let your inner flame burn with the power you strode so far to achieve!" Azula passionately instructed him as Kang focused on the flame, seeing visions of Azula's fall and wincing, his arms shaking as he watched.

"That time is over now. Neither of us can change it. Let it go and embrace the future, _your_ future!" Azula demanded as Kang focused on her words, letting the memory fade from view, his stomach and heart twinging as his inner flame grew whilst blue embers flickering around it.

"Now let your willpower ignite!" Azula confidently demanded, the inner flame erupting into a bright azure flame as Kang opened his eyes, his true fire-bending reigniting within him as he struck his fist out once more, letting loose a mighty plume of blue fire, following up with several kicks of fire to his left then finishing by unleashing a ferocious azure blaze into the sky, both Kang and Azula's Spirit stood in amazement.

"... Perfect!" Azula's Spirit whispered as Kang smiled at her, slowly lowering his arms as the flower petals stopped spiralling the tree.

"It looks like my time is running out..." Azula's Spirit sombrely spoke as she looked to the falling petals whilst confusion dawned on Kang.

"Will, I ever see you again?" Kang sombrely asked as he welled up once more, but Azula's Spirit placed her hand to his cheek, softly smiling as she gazed at him.

"From now on you'll always carry me with you, Kang. And remember that I will always love you!" Azula's Spirit softly spoke, fading away as Kang tried reaching out to her one last time.

"... I'll always love you too, mother!" Kang softly replied, smiling to the tree as a tear streaked down his face once more.

Kang took a deep breath as he closed his eyes, turning his attention towards the direction of Republic City as he reopened his eyes, his heart became unburdened, and the pit in his stomach faded away.

"If my mother can take down an Avatar, then I should be able to do it too!" Kang spoke as determination burned like the sun within him. Kang slowly looked down at his goggles one last time, scoffing at them before smiling.

"I won't hide myself any longer..." Kang pridefully proclaimed before kneeling at the base of the tree: placing the goggles down by it, and as he stood back up, he patted the trunk of the tree, then softly touched the hairpin as a smile came across his face before departing down the path

"For twenty-five years, I went through the worst agony I could have imagined... I don't know if I'll ever truly forgive myself for what happened... but I won't run from who I am anymore," Kang confidently told himself, stopping as he looked towards Republic City.

"And I won't allow Claire to go through the same pain I did..." Kang proclaimed, clenching his prosthetic fist, beginning his adventure back towards Republic City, to face Talos within his Heart of Chaos.


	9. The Rune Blades

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The would-be defenders still need time to recover, and in the mean time, Sky tells Jing the tale of his Rune Blades

The Governors, Lin, Zu, Li, Khana and Sky remained within the confines of Zu and Li's house, the tune of Sky's flute reverberating around the room whilst over them as the chaotic winds swirled around Republic City.

"Sky, in your battle against Talos..." Jin interjected as Sky stopped playing.

"I got my butt kicked faster than you expected?" Sky sarcastically replied.

"No... how did you do that Fire Tornado?" Jing curiously asked as he swirled his finger around whilst Sky pulled one of his Rune blades from its leather scabbard.

"With these!" Sky replied as he flashed the blades, the room reflecting off the metal as Jing observed with a curious wonder.

"I've never seen anything like these before," Jing quizzically replied, gazing at the runic symbols.

"They're one of a kind, and finding them wasn't easy," Sky told him as he pulled the blade back, gently twirling it in his hands.

"Would you care to share your tale?" Jing asked him, hoping to know more.

"It all started back when I was a boy, about eight years old if memory serves," Sky replied, beginning to spin his story.

The young Sky awoke to the sun peering through his window within the middle ring of Ba Sing Se, stretching his arms as he got out of his bed, grasping two short wooden poles and running out into the garden, practising his sword swings before breakfast.

But as he trained, Sky heard a commotion coming from the streets, crowds of people aligned down a pathway as a group of Five mercenaries marched through the streets, their clothes glistening in the sunlight as they strolled through. Sky quickly ran into the crowd to get a better look, pushing his way to the front of the crowd and seeing them up close.

"Who are they?" Sky wondrously asked.

"They're The Chargers! A mercenary company hired by The King from what I've heard," An old man replied, and without thinking, Sky lunged out in front of the Leader, stopping him in his tracks.

"What's the big idea, kid?" The leader asked, his gravelly voice intimidating Sky. Compared to Sky, the leader was like a mountain, his stature dwarfing him as his steely gaze glared down at him.

"I think he wants an autograph, chief!" a yellow hooded woman called out to their leader, breaking his steely gaze as he leant down to Sky's level.

"Well, why didn't you just say so?" The leader asked with a friendly grin, pulling out a small scroll and quill.

"Who am I making it out to?" The leader asked.

"S-Sky!" Sky nervously replied as the leader smiled as he wrote Sky's name, adding a small quote beneath it, then handing the scroll to Sky, patting his head before standing back up.

"See you around, kid!" The leader told him with a two-fingered salute as Sky inched back over to the crowd, watching the Chargers departed.

"I'm gonna be like them!" Sky whispered to himself, venturing back into his garden to continue practising with his wooden poles.

Sky would practice for several years, becoming an expert in fighting with dual swords. After his sixteenth Birthday, Sky bid his mother farewell to set out into the world to become a Mercenary.

Sky ventured outside Ba Sing Se and throughout the Earth Kingdom, asking for jobs and checking village boards for jobs people needed doing, accepting all that came his way and completing most of them successfully. Sky would escape near death several times during his years as a Mercenary, gaining renown with each passing job.

During his journey, a mayor commissioned Sky to take out a bandit gang which situated itself on the outskirts of the United Republic. Sky deftly ventured around the perimeter of the bandit camp, using the cover of the moonless night to his advantage, stealthily executing one bandit at a time, but the dwindling numbers worried the bandits, causing a group of them to run to their leader. They entered his tent, a hulk of a man with a large claymore and platypus bear cloak draped around his shoulders.

"Boss! Some of our men have gone missing!" A bandit informed the leader. Their leader's eyes perked open as he arose from his wooden throne.

"No one messes with The Crimson Hand and gets away with it!" The leader exclaimed as he grasped his claymore, swinging it around and onto his shoulder.

But as the leader smirked to himself, a knife pierced his neck as the blood trickled down his spine, trying to reach around to pull it out.

"Get it out!" The leader exclaimed as his muscles restricted his arm movements. One bandit reached for the knife, grasping the handle tightly, but the leader's flailing caused the bandit to slit the knife around his neck, slaying the leader and sending him to the ground with a mighty thud, the Claymore letting out a loud metal ringing as it followed.

The bandit frantically looked to their leader and the knife, his breathing shaky and his body quivering, and as the bandits had their attention on their leader's corpse, Sky sauntered out from behind the wooden throne.

"Would either of you gentlemen mind helping me carry that Claymore back to the United Republic?" Sky sarcastically asked as the bandits intensely glared at him.

"Get him boys!" one bandit shouted as they charged Sky, weapons at the ready. Sky shrugged as he engaged the bandits, deflecting the pack leader's attack and running him through with one of his dual swords.

The next bandit threw a punch at Sky's face, to which he avoided and wagged his finger.

"Tut-Tut, can't go bludgeoning this pretty face!" Sky taunted him as he pulled a knife from his chest pouch, jabbing it into the bandit's head.

The final bandit looked around, dropping his sword and fleeing from the tent, but Sky gave chase, grasping one of his dual swords by the pommel and throwing it with a mighty force. The blade spun in the air as it arched and descended onto the bandit, impaling their chest as Sky gave an approving wince.

"And here I thought I'd miss!" Sky jested to himself as he waltzed over to the Bandit's corpse, pulling the blade out then returning to the leader's tent.

Sky knelt down beside the Claymore, grasping the handle then propping it up on the blade's tip, heavily breathing as he balanced it.

"Whew... this thing is heavy," Sky breathlessly exclaimed, but as he tried to work out a way to carry the Claymore back to The United Republic, he could hear something rattling inside the handle, his eyebrows raising as he rattled it further, hearing what sounded like paper inside a hollow space.

"Secret compartment? What were you hiding?" Sky asked as he gazed down at the leader. Sky twisted the pommel, putting most of his strength into it, the pommel finally turning as the Mercenary let out a loud sigh before twisting it casually.

The pommel came off, allowing Sky to peer inside, seeing a small scroll of paper, pressing his finger against the scroll and sliding it up along the handle's interior. Sky gazed at the small scroll and the claymore, carefully laying it down against the wooden throne as he read from the scroll.

" _The time has come, and so has the Avatar. Four keys now seal our swords, buried and forgotten by time,"_ Sky read aloud, raising an eyebrow to what he read, then gazing at the bandit leader.

"Now why would you have this in your sword?" Sky curiously asked as he pocketed the Scroll, grasping the Claymore as he lugged it back to The United Republic.

Several days passed as Sky dragged the Claymore back to The United Republic, leaving a long scar on his returning path before arriving in a small town near Republic City, quickly being greeted by the mayor who had given him the job.

"Oh! You did it! And brought the scumbag's Claymore!" The mayor exclaimed as he gazed at the Claymore. Sky let out a loud grunt as he swung and perched the Claymore before him, presenting it with pride.

"Well, of course! So, where's my payment?" Sky breathlessly asked as the mayor grumbled, rooting around in his pocket before pulling out a large sack of gold, presenting it to Sky with glee.

Sky dug the Claymore tip into the ground, letting the earth support it as he took the sack of gold.

"Pleasure doing business with you!" Sky told him as he waltzed away, relieved to no longer be carrying the Claymore.

Sky curiously unravelled the scroll, reading what it said once more in his head.

"Four keys seal our swords..." Sky muttered to himself as he theorised.

"Four Keys... Four Nations... Possibly Four landmarks?" Sky theorised to himself, looking to the sunny sky with curious wonder.

Sky travelled for several days throughout the Earth Kingdom, eventually reaching The Great Divide, a canyon known for being the largest in the entire world. A crescent moon hung in the sky, surrounded by a scattering of stars.

"The Great Divide! From what I've heard, not a well-liked place," Sky told himself as he started his venture into the Canyon. But before he set a foot inside, a sign caught his attention.

" _Abandon all food if you hope to survive,"_ Sky read aloud, taken aback by the warning as he removed his satchel, pinning it into the sign with a dagger.

"Good thing I already ate," Sky told himself as he abandoned his supplies, venturing into the canyon.

Due to his lack of bending, Sky utilised his swords to climb across the walls where an Earth-bender would create pathways to explore the Canyon, and as Sky continued pulling himself along the Canyon, sweat grew in his palms loosening his grip on his handles, as he strained to hold on with all his might, but his hands couldn't hold him any longer, and his grip broke on one of his swords, his eyes widening as he dangled.

"Well, better to lose one sword than two!" Sky told himself as he clasped his other sword before pushing himself from the wall, falling into the canyon's depths.

To Sky's luck, he descended into a deep oasis, quickly gaining his bearings and swimming out from the oasis and sucking in a large amount of air as he crawled out, gazing to the sky whilst he caught his breath.

"I don't think I'll be getting that sword back," Sky told himself as he sat up beside the oasis, grasping the sword which fell with him and re-sheathing it, Silence looming over the Canyon whilst Sky thought to himself.

"Sky..." a voice whispered as Sky's heart skipped a beat, the Mercenary leaping up from the floor and unsheathing his sword into a duel sword stance.

"Oh... yeah, one sword," Sky muttered to himself as he clasped the sword with both hands.

"Fear not, Sky..." The voice whispered again as Sky's eyes twitched from left to right, scanning for the disembodied voice.

"Show yourself then, that'll ease the fear!" Sky replied, but the silence returned as Sky's heart slowed down.

"Follow our voice, Sky," a second voice echoed. Sky swallowed his fear and walked towards the sound of the voices, an anomaly hanging in the air as he continued his venture into a dark cave.

"This must be some kind of trick..." Sky muttered to himself, beginning to turn back, but as his foot spiralled around, the dark cave lit up with fire, revealing a relic atop a pedestal.

Sky turned back around to see the relic, cautiously approaching it, swiping it from the pedestal before quickly looking around, expecting a booby trap, but nothing came for him. The Mercenary twirled the relic in his hand as his grasp tightened, a chill running up his arm, and his eyes became pure white, seeing visions of two swordsmen battling against a shaggy-haired man with a goatee, their duel coursing across farmland.

Sky regained his senses, shuddering all over as the relic crumbled in his hands, revealing an Emerald Key trapped within.

"Go now to cliffs of Black, find the keys," a voice whispered to Sky as he gazed at the key, his body tingling all over, whilst a light emitted beneath his feet, instantly consuming him and transporting him back to the entrance of The Great Divide.

Sky stumbled backwards as he kept his grip on the key, looking around to see Canyon Crawlers, fluffy spider-like creatures with a long snout had already dug into his supplies, rolling his eyes at the sight of them.

"Great..." Sky groaned as he began walking away from the Canyon Crawlers, venturing towards the nearest Earth Kingdom village.

Sky rested for the night, gathering supplies in the morning before departing for the Fire Nation.

"Well, Cliffs of Black... obviously they were referring to the Black Cliffs in the Fire Nation," Sky said with a smirk as he ventured across the land and ocean towards the Fire Nation, strolling through villages within the nation, getting directions and tips from the locals about the Black Cliffs, eventually arriving at the bay where Team Avatar orchestrated the plot for the Day of Black Sun.

"Feels like I'm on hallowed ground here," Sky jested as he walked around the beach, waiting for a calling from the voices back in The Great Divide, and as Sky tapped his foot, looking out to the sea as the water swept along the sands, an odd ringing pervaded his mind.

"Ah, so you came," A voice echoed as Sky's body tensed up before he let out a shaky breath.

"Took your time," Sky replied with a smirk as he began looking around.

"Follow our voice," Another voice echoed as Sky repeated his actions at The Great Divide, venturing towards the voice, but could only find a solid wall.

Sky observed the wall, becoming increasingly befuddled the more he gazed at it, but a thought came to his mind, pressing his ear to the wall and tapping the bolster of one of his knives against the wall, hearing that the area behind it was hollow, widening his eyes as he stepped back, kicking the wall with his foot, causing the ancient wall to crumble at his strike as Sky gawked for a moment, observing the collapsed rubble.

"I thought that'd take a few more hits," Sky muttered to himself as he ventured inwards, approaching another pedestal and swiping the relic, rushing out of the cavern, but his grasp tightened again, seeing the brothers and the shaggy-haired man's battle surging across the Fire Nation as a crackle of lightning pierced through the skies.

Sky let out a heavy breath, looking at the relic crumble to reveal a Ruby Key, smirking at it as he pocketed his find.

"Go forth to the frozen caverns, find the keys," a voice whispered as a chill went down Sky's back.

"Frozen Caverns... oh, not those frozen caverns!" Sky groaned as he began his venture up to the North Pole.

Sky travelled for days before arriving at the icy walls of the Northern Water Tribe, gazing up at them with an impressed weary sigh, observing his sun illuminated surroundings for the entrance to the Underground Ice Caverns.

"Hey! What are you doing down there!?" A Northern Water Tribe guard shouted, spooking Sky as he twisted around to see a bow and arrow aimed at him.

"Balls!" Sky exclaimed as he made a run for it, ducking behind a chunk of solid ice as the arrow flew at him.

"Come on, voices. Give me some guidance," Sky muttered as he continued scanning for an entrance, noticing a group of seal-turtles making their way somewhere. Sky perked his head up over the ice to see the guard still aiming at him, deciding to crawl along the ground and follow the seal-turtles.

The seal-turtles plopped into a small opening of water in the ice, dismay crawling over Sky as he looked at it.

"Of course... water..." Sky groaned, taking in a deep breath before diving into the water hole, swimming alongside the seal-turtles, struggling to keep his breath as he swam through the hole.

Sky finally emerged inside the Ice Caverns, lunging out of the water and onto the solid ground as the seal-turtles lowed whilst Sky shivered all over.

Sky whipped his soaked jacket off, wrapping his bare arms around himself as he tried to warm up with what body heat he had, moments passing before he stood up from the ground, letting out a heavy sigh as he looked at his surroundings, picking up his soaked jacket and strolling around the cavern.

"Only two keys left now. Follow our voice, Sky," a voice whispered as Sky lightly scoffed, following their voices.

"I guess they only show up when I'm close," Sky muttered as he ventured into the caverns, discovering a hollowed-out cave blocked by a chunk of ice. Sky shrugged and swung his fist at the ice, but nothing happened to it as a tremor travelled up Sky's arm, wincing in pain as he drew his fist back.

"Probably should've led with the sword on that one," Sky told himself as he withdrew his sword, smacking the blade against the ice, and with every grunt and swing, Sky slowly chipped away the ice, eventually creating a hole big enough for him to crawl through.

Sky pumped his arm in victory, but as he looked at his sword, a gaze of despair came over him. The blade's edge had chipped and rolled, on the verge of breaking, The Mercenary let out a heavy sigh as he sheathed the damaged sword.

"These swords better be worth it," Sky muttered as he crawled into the cave, approaching the pedestal and swiping the relic, holding onto it as he awaited the vision, his hand tensing around the relic as his eyes turned white.

Sky saw a vision of the brothers and shaggy-haired man duelling within the Northern Water Tribe, but their demeanour was much more friendly than before, and their swords differed from his previous vision.

Sky snapped back to reality as the relic crumbled to reveal a Sapphire Key in his hand, gently twirling it before pocketing it.

"There's quite a story here," Sky told himself as he exited the cave.

"The last key lies in the south, across the one-way bridge," a voice whispered as Sky gulped, crawling back through the ice block, but as he did a light engulfed him, transporting him back outside the small ice hole.

But to Sky's dismay, a group of guards surrounded him, intending to bring him into their chief.

"Oh, come on, you couldn't have taken me to the south!?" Sky exclaimed.

"Well, why didn't you ask?" a voice asked as a light engulfed Sky once more, teleporting him to the front of a massive gorge, and an earthen bridge spanning across it.

Snow raged around as the night hung in the sky whilst Sky gazed at the bridge with a speechless glare.

"I'm going to freeze to death out here, aren't I?" Sky whimpered as he began crossing the bridge, seeing no other way out of his situation.

But to his luck, empty guard huts sat on the midsection of the bridge, making Sky brim with hope as he charged at one, kicking the door open and huddling up in the hut's corner after quickly igniting the fireplace.

"Just my luck!" Sky happily exclaimed as he warmed himself up by the fire, draping his soaked jacket near it, hoping to dry it out.

The night passed by and Sky awoke to the sun hanging in the sky, as well as two guards looming over him, slowly blinking to see their displeased expressions.

"What's an Earth Kingdom citizen doing all the way down here?" One guard asked.

"Not a clue," the other guard replied as Sky stood up, grabbing his now dried coat, clearing his throat as he looked at the guards.

"Sorry for breaking in here, but I'll just be going now," Sky replied as he shimmied between the guards, taking his leave across the bridge whilst the guards gandered at him before looking at each other.

"Do we stop him?" One guard asked.

"We could, but we don't get paid enough to care," The other guard dismissively replied as they took their post on the bridge.

Sky ventured across the Bridge, walking out to see a deadly landscape, jagged mountains and paths of almost impassable ice, thick layers of snow coating most of the earth.

Sky slowly nodded as he gazed at the terrain, smacking his lips before grimacing.

"Of course, the last key is in a giant death trap," Sky grumbled, but despite the intimidating landscape, Sky cautiously ventured in, climbing along stalagmites of ice and stone, shimmying along walls with paths barely the size of his feet, nervous sweat coated his body as he attempted to keep himself from shaking.

"What I'd give to be an Earth-bender... or Water-bender," Sky grumbled as he continued his perilous venture, making his way through the inhospitable terrain, coming to a small open area of snow and stone, cautiously observing his surroundings, waiting for the voices to talk.

"You've finally arrived," a voice whispered as Sky jumped before realising who it was, taking a deep breath as he looked around.

"Yep, I'm here, now where's this last key?" Sky replied, his tone riddled with annoyance.

"Follow our voice, and you shall have your answer," The voice whispered as Sky followed it, walking into another small cavern.

Nothing blocked his way, but he still proceeded with his damaged sword at the ready, approaching the pedestal as his eyes jumped around the room, waiting for something to pop out.

Sky gazed at the relic, swiping it from the pedestal and quickly sprinting from the cavern, looking back in with a perplexed relief.

"And here I thought something would _definitely_ leap out at me," Sky jested as his grip tightened around the relic, his eyes flushing white as he saw visions of the brothers forging two blades, etching runes into them as the shaggy-haired man barged in, angered by what they were doing.

Sky stumbled back as the relic crumbled, revealing a Quartz Key, The Mercenary stared at it with a curious gaze before pulling out the other three keys, looking at them with a theory brewing in his mind.

"All these keys are the colours of the elements..." Sky muttered.

"How very perceptive, Sky," a voice whispered as Sky pocketed the keys before placing his hands to his hips.

"Alright, I got your keys. Now what?" Sky curiously asked as a silence loomed over him before a light engulfed him once more, transporting him to the far eastern side of the Fire Nation.

"We dive into the abyss," a voice whispered as Sky looked at the ocean, gulping at the sound of the word 'Abyss'.

"Well... I've come this far, may as well finish it," Sky told himself as he leapt into the ocean, swimming down to the depths, but the further he swam, the more his consciousness faded, seeing a blurry sight of a cavern before turning around and swimming back to shore, lunging out of the ocean and onto land, gasping heavily as he pulled himself out of the ocean, rolling onto his back as he gazed at the afternoon sun.

"I'm gonna need a water-bender," Sky mumbled to himself, taking a few minutes to himself before setting out into the Fire Nation, hoping to find a Water-bender.


	10. Into the Abyss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sky continues his tale, about how he descended into the Abyss with the help of a familiar Mercenary gang

Sky ventured away from the edge of the Abyss, sauntering through local Fire nation villages, asking around for a water-bender, but had no luck, which didn't surprise the Mercenary one bit.

Sky strolled through another village, a Teahouse and Tavern on opposite sides of the village with small houses dotted around. Farmland surrounded the outer rim of the village, and the sun's rays illuminated the village. The Mercenary observed both the Teahouse and Tavern, deciding to venture inside the Tavern, his curiosity getting the better of him.

Sky pushed the doors open, the scent of wine pervading his senses as he saw patrons playing Pai Sho whilst casually sipping their drinks, Water-benders distributed the Wine to their patrons making Sky brimmed with glee.

"Perfect! Some Water-benders!" Sky said aloud as he sauntered in, but a realisation quickly hit him.

"...Asking random barmaids and servers to take me to the bottom of the ocean will seem... weird," Sky told himself as he scanned the room, recognising a group of mercenaries.

"No way..." Sky muttered as he approached them, tapping their beefy leader on the shoulder. The leader turned his head to Sky, seemingly disinterested.

"Can I help you, kid?" The leader asked as Sky took a deep breath.

"Are you guys The Chargers?" Sky cautiously asked as the leader nodded.

"We are..." The leader replied whilst curiously looking at Sky.

"Hold on a second, you're that kid from Ba Sing Se!" The leader happily added, recognising Sky, much to the Mercenary's surprise.

"You recognise me?" Sky shakily asked.

"Well, of course! I remember that bright look in your eyes" The leader replied, quickly pulling out another bar stool for Sky, patting it for him to sit down.

"These are my boys," The leader gestured to the men and woman sat before them.

"That's Short-Fuse, a fire-bender with a self-explanatory name," The leader told him as he pointed to a short man in fire nation attire.

"Hey, how's it going? Need something blowing up?" Short-Fuse greeted Sky as the mercenary chuckled.

"This is Rocky, an Earth-bender who's a little hard-headed," The leader told him as he pointed to a slender and muscular man in earth kingdom attire. Rocky proved the leader's point by smacking a rock over his head.

"And he means that literally!" Rocky replied with a chuckle.

"That's Sinker, a Water-bender who's infamous for sinking battleships of all nations," The leader told him as he gesture to a slender man in water tribe attire.

Sinker raised his hand pointing with his index and middle finger, followed by placing the tips of his fingers against the side of his thumb, raising his other hand and forming two 'L' shapes with his fingers, followed by forming a circle between his thumb and fingers, showing his palm to him then clasping his hand into a fist, quickly raising his index and middle finger in a forked position, placing the tip of his thumb at their base, finishing by sticking out his thumb and pinky finger whilst rolling his other fingers into his palm. Sky raised a quizzical eyebrow as he looked to the leader.

"Sinker can't speak. So he uses this funky hand language to communicate," The leader explained.

"What did he say?" Sky curiously asked.

"'Hello, Sky!'," The leader translated as he took a chug of his wine.

"We also have my second-hand woman, Drafter," The leader told him as he gestured to a woman in yellow hooded robes.

"Is she a non-bender?" Sky curiously asked.

"No, but she can be quite breathtaking!" the leader replied as Drafter kicked the leader's leg, making him grimace and groan.

"Feisty too," The leader added as he pulled out a Giant mace, resting it on his shoulder with a wide grin.

"And they call me, Butcher... and it's not because I run a meat shop," Butcher added, patting Sky on the back.

"It's nice to meet you all," Sky greeted them with a smile.

"Now, was there something you needed, Sky? Or were you just stopping by?" Butcher asked.

"Well... long story short, I found some odd keys scattered throughout the world, and I need a water-bender to take me to the place where I can use them," Sky explained as Butcher looked to his boys, then back to Sky.

"Hmm... are you paying?" Butcher curiously asked.

"Cash up front!" Sky replied, placing a heavy sack of gold on the table as Butcher's face brimmed with glee.

"You aren't on any other jobs at the moment, are you?" Sky asked, hoping they'd be available.

"Nah, we finished a job just recently though. Some mayor trying to track down a lass he got frisky with over a decade ago... Not sure what he hoped we could do, but we searched all over the Fire Nation. Got a lead at one point, but it went cold near the northern shores," Butcher explained.

"We got paid, so it wasn't a total waste of time," Short-Fuse added with a shrug as he drank a whole pint of wine.

"So, if you need us for a job, Sky. You got us!" Butcher replied as they all finished their drinks. Butcher gestured to a barmaid, calling them over and passing a large sack of his own gold to them.

"Thank you for the drinks, dear," Butcher told her in a sultry voice as the barmaid chuckled lightly before leaving.

"Lead the way, Sky!" Butcher instructed him as he grasped the large sack of gold whilst Sky led them to the shoreline, at the edge of the abyss. The Chargers looked around as Sky gazed at the ocean water.

"This is the place?" Butcher curiously asked as Sky affirmatively nodded.

"Yeah. Sinker, do you think you can get us to the Ocean floor?" Sky asked as Sinker raised his thumb to him before approaching the shore, freezing a chunk of the ocean and stepping aboard, gesturing to the others to come aboard. Butcher, Short-Fuse, Drafter, Rocky and Sky stepped aboard the ice.

Sinker began swerving his arms around as the ice sank, the water forming a bubble around them as they descended into the darkness of the ocean.

"Short-Fuse! Light!" Butcher commanded, to which Short-Fuse formed a large flame in his palms.

The Chargers and Sky hit the ocean floor, the ice melting as Sinker kept the water swerving around them, Sky looked around, seeing the cavern from earlier.

"Over there!" Sky said aloud as he pointed to the cavern. The Chargers and Sky marched forward, walking into the Cavern and descending further down into the earth.

"Sky, just how deep is this place?" Butcher worryingly asked as they descended, but Sky shrugged.

"I'm not sure, I only got about halfway down to the cavern on my own," Sky nervously replied whilst Butcher remained silent as they descended. Eventually, The Chargers and Sky were spat out of the water, but Drafter broke their fall with a light draft, much to Sky's surprise.

Before The Chargers and Sky stood a mighty golden door, with four keyholes shaped like the four nation's emblems at its centre. Sky pulled the keys from his pockets, cautiously approaching the door as The Chargers stayed back, quizzically looking to one another whilst Sky stood before the door, inserting the Ruby Key and twisting it.

"Fire scorches without remorse," An unfamiliar voice whispered, making Sky's eyes widened as several roaring flames erupted from the sides of the chamber.

"Short-Fuse!" Butcher shouted as Short-Fuse leapt in and bent the fire away from Sky, saving him from being burnt.

"Thanks!" Sky replied as his body quaked. The Mercenary turned back to the door, inserting the Quartz Key and twisting it.

"Air is fleeting," The unfamiliar voice whispered again as the air within the chamber began dissipating, but Drafter sensed the air leaving the room, swerving her arms out as she slowly pulled them back in, dragging the air back into the room, and after a moment the air stopped resisting her pull.

Everyone looked around, not noticing that Drafter had stopped their air from escaping the chamber whilst Sky turned his attention back to the door, inserting the sapphire key and twisting it.

"Water drowns the weak," the unfamiliar voice whispered again as Water began flooding into the chamber, but Sinker quickly stopped it, pushing the water back into the holes it flooded from and freezing them at the entrance.

"Sheesh, it's like you'd need to be an Avatar to get in here," Butcher commented.

"Your ally is correct, Avatar Wan built this place so that only an Avatar could survive..." A distinct voice whispered to Sky as his eyes widened.

"Rocky, get ready!" Sky called over to him as Rocky nodded, preparing for the final booby-trap. Sky turned back to the door, inserting the Emerald Key, twisting it as he looked around at the chamber.

"Earth buries those unable to withstand its might," the unfamiliar voice whispered as large boulders descended on Sky, Rocky shoved them out of the way, but the boulders kept coming, forcing Butcher and Drafter to leap in, Butcher smashed oncoming boulders as Drafter pushed them away with gusts of wind until the boulders stopped.

The golden door began sliding open into four pieces, taking the keys with it as the whole chamber quaked as Rocky, Butcher and Drafter readied themselves to attack more boulders, but to their surprise, none came and the golden door opened all the way, revealing an ancient carved out room, flames illuminated the interior, a stream of water encircled a tall alter with a stairway leading up to it with two runic adorned blades, a two diagonal ruby lines converging to a point, two sets of emerald lines converging on one another, two parallel Quartz lines with one line in its centre, and a Sapphire line with a diagonal line at one of its ends.

Sky slowly approached the altar, wondrously gazing upon the swords before reaching out and clasping them, his hairs standing on end as he lifted them from their altar, swinging them around in his hands gleefully.

" _But I knew that whenever you work with another Mercenary company, no matter how renowned they are... always expect a knife in the back,"_ Present Day Sky told Jing as he continued his story.

Young Sky turned around to The Chargers, seeing them menacingly stood before him.

"Thank you for the help! Now let's get out of here before any traps get us," Sky told them as he held onto the Dual Swords.

"Change of plans Sky, we'll take the Swords on top of your earlier payment," Butcher replied with a smirk, but Sinker tugged on his arm, grasping his attention and shaking his head.

Sinker flexed out three of his fingers, bringing all four tips into the side of his thumb, followed by pointing his index and middle finger out then rolling his fingers into a fist with his thumb at the side, flexing out his index and middle finger in a fork then bringing the tips of his fingers back to the side of his thumb, following by rolling his hand into a fist then placing a gap between his middle and ring finger before forming a circle between his thumb and fingers, followed by crossing his index finger under his middle finger, rolling his hand into a fist as he pointed out his pinky, bringing it back in then pointing with his index finger, then joining his middle finger with it, rolling his fingers into a fist once more, as his thumb pressed against his middle finger and his index finger overlapped his thumb. But Butcher scoffed at him.

"Hey, we got him down here, we have all the right to talk about what payment we want," Butcher replied as he gestured to his other boys.

"Drafter, Rocky, Short-Fuse... Sinker. Take him out and get the swords," Butcher commanded them. Sinker reluctantly strode forward along with the others, all blasting out their respective element towards Sky.

"Defend yourself!" A voice whispered as Sky instinctively raised the swords before him, blocking the elemental barrage as the runic symbols lit up, a dim light radiating along the swords as two spirits began forming around Sky.

"Just as the Spirits of Order and Chaos have their chosen. We have ours," A spirit whispered as it infused with Sky.

"We will be with you always," The other spirit whispered as it infused with Sky, The blades radiated with power as the Chargers gawked. Seeing Sky's eyes became pure white as a confident smirk overcame the Ascended Mercenary.

Sky leapt in with his blades, unleashing powerful slashes of fire and air towards The Chargers, followed up by pulling water from the stream and unleashing a dual slash of water before piercing the swords into the ground, slashing up the earth beneath The Chargers.

Drafter, Short-Fuse, Sinker and Rocky fell to the side whilst Sky and Butcher stood across from each other, Butcher confidently withdrawing his mace as he smirked.

"Alright, you knock off Avatar, come get it!" Butcher taunted him as he slammed his mace on the ground.

Sky readied his blades, swinging them viciously at Butcher, the leader tried to block with his mace but the fire broke his guard, knocking him down as Sky raised his swords to Butcher, swirling the surrounding air and dragging him in before pulling Butcher up and kicking him in the jaw.

Sinker looked over to Drafter, flexing out three of his fingers, bringing all four tips into the side of his thumb, followed by rolling his hand into a fist then pointing with his index and middle finger, forming a circle with his thumb and fingers, raising his index and middle finger together, quickly forming an 'L' shape then rolling his thumb in and pointing out with his index finger, followed by crossing his index under his middle finger, pointing his index and middle finger out together once more finishing by rolling his hand into a fist then placing a gap between his middle and ring finger.

"I agree!" Drafter replied as she nodded. The two stood up, beginning to flee the chamber with Short-Fuse and Rocky quickly following whilst Butcher stood up, seeing his boys make a run for it.

"This ain't over, Sky!" Butcher angrily told him as he limped away, following his boys.

The rushing energy faded from Sky as the runes dimmed, sheathing the swords behind him as he looked to his surroundings.

"What was that!?" Sky asked, hoping the voices would tell him.

"My brother Fu and myself Jian forged these swords," Jian told Sky within his mind as the Mercenary took a deep breath.

"So, you two are a part of me now?" Sky curiously asked.

"Yes, but we'll fade away into your sub-conscious sooner or later," Fu explained whilst Sky thought to himself, but before he could speak, a light engulfed him, transporting him back to the surface.

"Yes, we can still teleport you," Jian told Sky, the mercenary chuckling to himself as he proudly walked off into the Fire Nation with his Rune Swords.

Present Day Sky patted his rune swords with a smirk whilst Jing sat there, fascinated by Sky's story.

"Are they still there?" Jing asked.

"No, they faded away a couple years ago," Sky replied with a saddened voice.

"Did you ever find out why they made the swords? And why the Avatar reacted the way he did?" Jing asked, hoping to learn more.

"The brother's Fu and Jian envied their friend's ability to bend all four elements. He was an enigma to them, and so they forged these swords with some outside help, hoping they too could wield the four elements," Sky explained.

"But this angered Avatar Wan when he found out. The forging of the swords and the brothers now being able to 'bend' the four elements as well damaged his ego, and the brothers duelled the Avatar, eventually falling to his power, and using some odd ability to seal the two within their respective swords, locking them away in the hopes no one would ever find them," Sky finished his explanation.

"And it only took several thousand years for them to resurface..." Jing replied as he curiously looked at the swords.

"Yep, and now I use them in the name of helping the Avatar... and keeping them out of the wrong hands," Sky told him as he twirled one in his hands whilst Jing softly scoffed.


	11. The Second Journey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Claire has left the North Pole, leaving behind a spiteful Talos, but he would not lay down and accept fate, he would set out and pursue what he believes to be his true destiny.

Upon the night of Claire's departure from the North Pole, Talos too plotted out his own journey, packing a sack of supplies as the Crescent moon hung in the sky.

"Claire... Your existence as the Avatar is something I will not accept!" Talos spoke to himself as envy toiled within him, slinging the sack over his shoulder as he set out into the world, but a heavy pawed Polar Bear Dog gently swiped at the back of his leg, stopping him in his tracks.

Talos turned his attention to the Polar Bear Dog as it pawed at him, lowly whining.

"I'm leaving, Kazel. I'm beginning my journey as..." Talos spoke as his head hung, but Kazel persisted, nudging Talos with his head, warming Talos' chilled heart.

"Alright, you can tag along. You'll certainly make the journey easier!" Talos replied as he hopped on Kazel's back.

The two set off into the world, Kazel's heavy pawed thuds alerted Unalaq, rousing the Northern Chief from his slumber.

"Oh, no..." Unalaq told himself as he leapt from his bed, running outside to see Kazel and Talos charging off into the distance, pressing his hand to his head as a nervous chill ran down his spine.

Talos first ventured to the Earth Kingdom, going from village to village in search of an Earth-bending Master. Talos strolled through the streets of Omashu atop Kazel. The city had changed little since the end of the one hundred year war.

Many people gazed at Talos and Kazel as they wandered the streets, and a travelling tourist of the city halted them.

"Excuse me, are you the Avatar?" The tourist asked, making Talos freeze until a thought came to his mind.

 _"Perhaps they may know where to find an Earth-bending Teacher... if I tell them I am the Avatar... hmm,"_ Talos thought as the Tourist stared at him.

"Yes, I am the Avatar. And this is my Animal guide, Kazel. He's friendly!" Talos confidently lied.

"I suppose you're looking for an Earth-bending teacher then? You may not find one in Omashu, but there's a big city made of metal to the south not too far from here!" the Tourist informed him.

"A metal city? Does it have a name in case I get lost on the way?" Talos curiously asked.

"It's called Zaofu! I hear they train the Metal-bending police force of Republic City. Their leader is a woman called Kuvira. You'll know it when you see it!" The Tourist informed him.

"Thank you for the information kind stranger!" Talos told him as he patted Kazel's head.

"Kazel, we're heading south for a... metal city..." Talos told him, trying to wrap his head around a metal city.

Kazel let out a positive bark as he swung around, galloping towards the exit of Omashu, riding south towards Zaofu.

The two journeyed for half a day, arriving atop a Cliffside, looking down upon a large city of metal.

The buildings stood tall within metal flower petals, and a stream of water ran down the mountains in between the flowering buildings.

"That tourist wasn't kidding when he said it was a city made of metal..." Talos softly spoke as he observed Zaofu.

He patted Kazel on his head, making the Polar Bear Dog sprint down the cliff-side, leaping down and landing beside the stream, leading the charge towards the metal city.

"If I was a leader, I'd pick the biggest metal flower to have my throne room situated in..." Talos spoke as he observed the buildings, commanding Kazel to leap across the stream and towards the largest metal flower.

The two circled around, discovering the entrance, but two metal-benders guarded the city, preventing Talos and his fluffy companion entry into the city.

"State your business stranger!" One of the Metal-benders demanded.

"I am the Avatar, and I come seeking an Earth-bending teacher!" Talos informed them as the metal-benders sceptically looked to each other before returning their attention to Talos.

"You're the Avatar? Prove it!" The other metal-bender demanded, making Talos freeze up.

"I'm afraid I can't, you see I've only just begun my journey and I'm only an expert in Water-Bending," Talos informed them as he bent a ring of water out from the nearby stream, letting it hover and swirl around his hand as the metal-benders looked to each other once more.

"Do you think we should let him in?" One of the metal-benders asked.

"It's not every day a Water-Bender comes parading around on a Polar bear Dog... I think he might be the real deal!" The other Metal-bender replied.

" _Gullible fools!"_ Talos thought to himself with a smirk.

"We will allow you entry Avatar, if you're searching for a master, I recommend our leader Kuvira!" one of the Metal-benders suggested as they pulled open the metal gates, allowing Talos to move in.

Talos and Kazel rode through the streets of Zaofu, although he expected streets of cold metal and solid earth, he, found it to be rather vibrant, metal mostly encapsulated his vision, but colours of green and gold also caught his eye as well as areas where nature could thrive within, still keeping to the aesthetics of other earth kingdom cities.

The two marched towards the largest building in the city, a giant Spire with a wide building at its base.

Talos hopped off of Kazel before venturing inside the vibrant green interior with stained glass windows all around, but Talos grimaced at the overuse of green.

"You'd think they'd pick a different colour..." Talos muttered as he and Kazel continued forward, but two more metal-benders and a tall woman stopped them. The woman had black hair braided into a bun at the back of her head. Dark green robes covered her torso, whilst shiny metal Pauldrons covered her shoulders and protected her neck. Dark brown baggy pants and black boots covered her lower body.

"Who are you?" The woman asked.

"My name is Talos, and I am the Avatar. I hail from the Northern Water Tribe. Son to Chief Unalaq and this is my animal guide, Kazel!" Talos confidently spoke whilst petting Kazel on the head, but the woman became sceptical.

"And what is the 'Avatar' doing here of all places?" the woman asked

"I am in search of an Earth-bending teacher, I've been told to find a person by the name of Kuvira," Talos informed her as he looked her up and down.

"Might you be she?" Talos asked, to which the woman smirked.

"You're observant, Avatar!" Kuvira replied as she sneakily bent a piece of metal behind her back before slinging it towards.

The projectile closed in on Talos as he bent water out from a satchel on his back, turning it into ice then launching it up into the air, deflecting the metal whilst Kazel snarled at Kuvira's hostility, intending to strike down Kuvira, but Talos put his hand on Kazel's back.

"Calm down, Kazel. I'm sure that was just a test," Talos reassured him as he looked towards Kuvira, to which she nodded.

"You're already thinking like an Earth-bender," Kuvira commented as she approached Talos, standing tall as if she were a military leader.

"I'll train you in the ways of Earth-bending, and perhaps you'll even pick up some Metal-bending along the way," Kuvira told him.

Talos and Kuvira smiled at each other, beginning his road to learn Earth-bending.

Talos adorned himself in robes and armour similar to that of Kuvira's, she would train Talos for the next two years and four-months, performing similar exercises to the ones Claire would endure, but Kuvira became suspicious of Talos, seeing him make tremendous progress in learning the style of earth-bending, but make no progress in bending the earth.

Night dawned on Zaofu as a Police officer in training ventured to the quarters they granted Talos whilst he stayed in Zaofu.

"Mistress Kuvira desires your presence, Avatar!" The Police Officer told him as Talos and Kazel's heads perked up at his message.

"What could she want at this late hour? I'm done with my training for today!" Talos dismissively replied.

"She didn't say, but I'm afraid if you resist I must take you up there by force!" The Police Officer informed him as Talos raised an eyebrow to his attempt at a threat whilst Kazel snarled. But Talos raised his hand to Kazel, signalling him to calm down.

"I'm not resisting, I was only curious," Talos told him as he stood up from his bed, Kazel followed him, but Talos raised his hand.

"Stay here, Kazel. I'll be back shortly," Talos told him, to which Kazel let out a low whine before laying down and placing his snout between his paws.

Talos smiled at him as he left, journeying to Kuvira's quarters, getting lost on the way a handful of times.

Talos finally entered Kuvira's Chambers, dimly lit by the light of the moon coming in from the window as Kuvira sat upon a metal chair with her back to Talos, a glass of water sat atop her desk.

"Talos. You took your time," Kuvira told him in a haughty tone as she turned her attention to him.

"It's Avatar, Kuvira. And I only took so long because this place is so large!" Talos retorted.

"Is it really 'Avatar', Talos?" Kuvira replied, taking a jab at his claim as Talos' heart skipped a beat.

" _Don't tell me she's worked it out..."_ Talos thought to himself.

"Of course it is! As you've said, I've been making progress in Earth-bending!" Talos tried to reassure her as Kuvira remained seated.

"You have... but you've bent no earth to your will," Kuvira told him as she made three pebbles float to her hand, slowly spiralling them in her palm.

"Earth is not your natural opposite, so why you're not bending earth is something I find most intriguing..." Kuvira added as she dropped the pebbles into her hand, crushing them into dust as she stood up, beginning to walk around to Talos, but not making eye contact.

"Could it be that you are not the Avatar, and you're simply a liar who has wasted my time?" Kuvira asked as Talos froze up, but that freeze-up was all Kuvira needed to confirm her suspicions, outstretching her arms and bending the metal shoulder pads on Talos, crushing them around his neck as Talos tried to remain calm, struggling to breathe.

"You're just a pathetic child trying to play Avatar, you're a waste of time! Just a mere Water-Bender with too much of an ego!" Kuvira told him as she clenched the metal around his throat harder, making Talos drop to his knees as he tried to pry off the metal.

" _No, I can't fall here, there must be something I can do!"_ Talos thought to himself, observing his surroundings and spying the half-empty glass of water on Kuvira's desk, then looking to her neck.

" _It's my only chance..."_ Talos thought, releasing his right hand from the pauldrons, bending the Water and pulling it from the glass, swiping it towards Kuvira's neck, the razor-sharp edge cut cleanly through Kuvira's metal neck protection and the flesh of her throat.

Her hold on Talos broke, allowing him to pry the Metal from his neck, breathing heavily, as he looked at Kuvira, blood drained from her throat as she clasped it with her hand, watching Talos stand to his feet, slowly getting his breath back.

"That explains the odd designs of your Pauldrons..." Talos told her.

But despite his attempts to talk to her, Kuvira couldn't make a word as her body slowly became cold, the life fading from her eyes.

Talos hurried from the room, returning to his quarters to see Kazel still there.

"Kazel, quickly we need to leave!" Talos told him as he hopped on his back.

Kazel let out an affirmative bark as the two charged out of the quarters. Talos slashed through the metal doors with water, eventually making it out onto the streets of Zaofu, and to their luck, the murder of Kuvira had not reached the ears of anyone else yet, allowing Talos and Kazel a peaceful escape.

As the two ventured away from the Earth Kingdom and into the Fire Nation, using Kazel's powerful swimming abilities to traverse the ocean, the report on Kuvira's death arrived on the desk of Lin Beifong.

"A black-haired man with purple eyes claiming to be the Avatar has slain Kuvira in the dead of night and made his escape, to where we don't know," Lin Beifong read aloud, her brother Hou stood in the room, overhearing everything she said.

"Do we know if it was self-defence or not?" Hou asked.

"From the sounds of it... possibly..." Lin replied in a disdained voice, Hou paced around in the room, unnerved by the news.

"Didn't Tenzin send a message saying the White Lotus already found the Avatar?" Hou asked as Lin's head perked up from the reports.

"If the Avatar is with the White Lotus... then who was this person claiming to be them?" Lin speculated as she looked to the report.

Talos and Kazel travelled across the nightly ocean away from the Earth Kingdom, coming across a fascinating sight: The White Lotus compound.

"A large rig with terrains of the four elements attached to it... this must be the White Lotus compound that Claire is in..." Talos spoke as he observed it, tempted to venture inwards, as he went to pat Kazel to give the order, but he quickly reconsidered.

"No... I could endanger myself and raise too many questions..." Talos told himself, patting Kazel.

"Towards the Fire Nation, Kazel. We need to find a Fire-bending teacher!" Talos commanded him.

Kazel let out a positive bark as they swam towards the Fire Nation, but his bark radiated throughout the area, awakening the slumbering Claire as she perked her head out of the window looking around the Compound.

"I could have sworn I just heard a... bark," Claire commented as she looked around before shrugging and falling back into bed.

"I guess I'm just homesick and hearing things," Claire told herself as she fell back asleep.

Talos and Kazel swam all night long to reach the shores of the Fire Nation, landing on one of the many small islands to the east. The two ventured across the hot lands of the Fire Nation in search of a Fire-bending Master.

Whilst travelling on the northern side of the nation, the two discovered a large village: small houses aligned near the perimeter with a much larger house to the far side, a Tea shop stood to the west of the village, and many store vendors littered the area.

Talos and Kazel ventured down into the village, scaring most of the villagers who had never seen a Polar Bear Dog.

"Relax, he's friendly!" Talos announced as Kazel let out a joyful bark while he followed. The two stood in the Tea house's archway, quickly approached by a server.

"Welcome to the Jade Lion Turtle, unfortunately, we have a policy against... pets..." The server informed them as he looked at Kazel, who towered over him with a friendly smile.

"Wait here!" Talos told Kazel with a pat on his chest, but Kazel pawed his back as he turned away, making Talos turn his attention back to Kazel.

"... would you like anything?" Talos asked as Kazel let out a positive bark, patting his paws on the ground as Talos smiled at him.

"I'll see what I can do" Talos replied as Kazel curled up and laid down outside the Tea House.

Talos entered, noticing several dozen patrons all drinking their tea and conversing amongst themselves, but one man caught his eye, a man adorned with sharp Noble robes. Talos approached the man with his head held high.

"Dare I ask what a man of your rank is doing in a place like this?" Talos asked the man, observing his attire.

"My rank?" The man asked as he placed his tea down.

"Fire Nation nobility, I'd assume someone like you would have your own tea maker," Talos theorised whilst gesturing to his robes, to which the man finally grasped what he was saying.

"Ah! I do, but the tea here is much better!" The man informed him as he looked at Talos' attire.

"Are you from the Earth Kingdom? Your attire would suggest so," The man asked as he sipped his tea, but Talos quizzically stared at him.

"Earth Kingdom? What would give you..." Talos began asking as he looked to his clothes, realising he was still wearing the clothes given to him in Zaofu.

"Oh, these..." Talos nervously spoke whilst the man watched his demeanour change.

"Something wrong?" The man curiously asked him.

"No, these are the clothes I wore when I was studying the styles of earth-bending, and I haven't had the opportunity to change," Talos replied as he continued looking at his clothing.

"Ah, I see. Perhaps Water Tribe, then? Judging by your... rather big dog," The man continued theorising.

"You would be correct, sir. The North Pole, to be exact," Talos confirmed his suspicions as the man gestured to the seat beside him, inviting Talos to sit down with him.

"Are you by chance the Avatar then? If memory serves: The Next Avatar is to be of the Water Tribe... heavens forbid it's one of the Foggy Swamp tribe. We may as well have another Avatar in an Iceberg then!" The man spoke with a laugh, as Talos gritted his teeth.

" _Remember what happened last time you lied Talos. Be honest this time,"_ Talos thought to himself.

"I'm... not the Avatar, but I was friends with her back in the North Pole!" Talos informed him, to which the man perplexingly stared.

"And now you're all the way out here in the Fire Nation wearing Earth Kingdom clothing?" The man asked as he observed Talos.

"I take it... you wanted to be the Avatar, and out of... jealousy? You're doing your own Avatar journey?" The man quickly theorised.

"A blunt way of putting it... but yes..." Talos replied, partially embarrassed as the man finished his tea before setting it down on the table.

"And You've become an expert with the styles of Earth-bending and now you wish to learn the styles of Fire-bending?" The man quickly added to his theory.

"Yes... You're quite inquisitive, aren't you?" Talos asked as he slanted his eyes at the man.

"Well, my boy, you're in luck. For the Great Zin Bu shall be your Fire-bending... style... teacher!" Zin Bu proclaimed to him, but Zin Bu's sudden proclamation took aback Talos.

"But you've only just met me?" Talos sceptically replied.

"You seem like a nice man, so I won't mind teaching you a thing or two about Fire-bending, and you won't be shooting out any flames... I hope," Zin Bu told him as the two stood up from their table, venturing out of the teahouse and towards Kazel, the giant dog perking up from his curled position to look at Zin Bu.

"Oh my, he's bigger than expected!" Zin Bu commented as Kazel sniffed him, giving Zin Bu a lick with his giant tongue, near enough lifting him off the ground.

"Oof, friendly too!" Zin Bu added as Talos patted Kazel on his neck, making him stop before the three ventured towards the largest building in the village.

"This is your house?" Talos curiously asked as they approached.

"Of course, I'm the mayor here!" Zin Bu told him as the three entered his house.

Zin Bu escorted Talos to a large open area behind his house surrounded by monolithic rocks.

"I never got your name now that I think about it," Zin Bu told him as Talos froze up before clearing his throat.

"My name is Talos!" He confidently replied.

"Well, Talos. Your Fire-bending Style training begins now!" Zin Bu proclaimed as he pointed his finger to the sun.

Zin Bu would train Talos for the next two years and four months in the style of Fire-bending until he became an expert in the style, Zin Bu's personal chefs also kept Kazel well-fed, albeit unintentionally.

A full moon hung in the sky over the Village as Zin Bu stood atop his balcony looking out over the moon-lit village.

Talos approached him, standing by his side as he too gazed upon the village.

"Water Tribe copper for your thoughts?" Talos asked as he pulled out a copper piece, making Zin Bu chuckle.

"How long have you been waiting to use that one?" Zin Bu spoke through his chuckle.

"A while. You just appeared to be deep in thought when I approached," Talos replied as Zin Bu let out a heavy sigh.

"I was..." Zin Bu told him as he continued looking out to the tea house before turning his attention to Talos.

"I wonder, Talos. This Avatar friend, you mentioned they were a woman, yes?" Zin Bu asked him.

"Yes... what of it?" Talos curiously asked.

"Did you two ever have a thing for each other, because I must say you seem like you'd be quite a catch with the ladies!" Zin Bu commented, making Talos freeze up as his cheeks flushed red.

"We... no... She was more like a sister. We were born on the same day, after all!" Talos replied.

"Ah, a shame. I'm sure she's a pleasant person," Zin Bu sombrely told him as Talos turned the question back on him.

"How about you? I'm sure you were quite the catch in your prime," Talos commented as Zin Bu let out a short laugh.

"The cheek! I still am!" Zin Bu replied confidently until a thought weighed down on him.

"There was one woman... Azumi, I thought we hit it off when we met," Zin Bu lamented.

"What happened to her?" Talos curiously asked as Zin Bu let out a heavy sigh.

"After a very... Ravishing night, she up and vanished. If it weren't for the broken bed, I would have thought it was all a wine-induced dream," Zin Bu replied with a nostalgic yet sombre tone.

"You... broke the bed?" Talos nervously replied.

"Yes... trust me, explaining a broken bed with only you in it to either of your parents is not easy!" Zin Bu spoke with a short laugh before letting out a nostalgic sigh.

"Did you ever try to find her?" Talos asked, curious to hear more.

"I did, but she vanished with barely any trace. But I'll tell you, not a single man or woman has ever shown the Great Zin Bu a better time than Azumi," Zin Bu told him as he picked up a glass of red wine sat before him.

"I hope she's at least living a happy life" Zin Bu added as he drank the wine, but Talos curiously gazed at him.

"I thought Sozin outlawed people of the same gender sharing in... romance?" Talos asked in curious wonder, to which Zin Bu looked at him in mild shock.

"What? No! That's just a bunch of Earth Kingdom lies and propaganda used to give the Fire Nation an evil reputation!" Zin Bu informed him with a mildly offended tone.

"Because apparently Genocide of pacifist monks didn't wound our reputation enough," Zin Bu added whilst Talos slouched in his posture.

"I... apologize, I didn't mean to offend!" Talos replied, seeking forgiveness. But Zin Bu simply gave him a light jab.

"Consider yourself enlightened!" Zin Bu jested as Talos smiled at him before letting out a heavy sigh as he looked to the horizon.

"Where would you recommend I head to next? I've become an expert in Fire and Earth... but there's no one out there to teach Air-bending..." Talos dismally asked, letting out a heavy sigh as his head hung low.

"As I see it, you've got three options. Either option one: You return home with the knowledge you've gained. Option two: You go out and find your Avatar friend and see what she can teach you. Or Option Three: Venture to the Air Temples, see what the monks and Sozin left behind," Zin Bu recommended whilst Talos thought to himself.

"How would I get up to the Air Temples?" Talos curiously asked.

"I'm fairly certain your Kazel could traverse the mountainous terrain well enough, Sozin's army could get up there, I'm sure you and your Polar Bear Dog can," Zin Bu told him as he finished his wine.

"You're also a Water-Bender, you could theoretically make your own pathway up the mountain with Ice!" Zin Bu added.

"Wouldn't that be dangerous?" Talos asked him, wincing at the thought of plummeting from the Air Temples.

"Not if you're smart about it and take it slow if you take your time and don't rush. Slipping off shouldn't be too much of a concern, I'd wager," Zin Bu explained.

"Which Air Temple do you think I should go to?" Talos asked, curious to hear his thoughts.

"Well... the closest one is the Eastern Air Temple, but I think getting to it may be more difficult..." Zin Bu replied as he thought to himself.

"The Southern Air Temple may be your best bet, it's not too far, and it's where Avatar Aang spent his younger years!" Zin Bu added.

"How long do you think it will take to get there?" Talos asked him as Zin Bu thought, plotting the route he would take.

"Possibly a month depending on how fast you travel," Zin Bu informed him.

"If you intend to set off tomorrow I'd advise resting then packing your things and whatever supplies you need in the morning, it'll be a long journey," Zin Bu added as Talos nodded.

"Thank you for the help, Zin Bu!" Talos replied with a brief bow, to which Zin Bu smiled with a chuckle.

"Oh, the formality's not needed, my boy. Rest for the night!" Zin Bu told him, as Talos left his side, returning to his and Kazel's quarters to rest.

The next Afternoon, Talos had packed all the supplies he needed to traverse towards the Southern Air Temple, hopping onto the bow elderly Kazel's back before looking down to Zin Bu.

"It's been nice having you around, Talos. Feel free to visit any time!" Zin Bu told him.

"Thank you for your hospitality. Farewell, Zin Bu!" Talos replied as he patted the side of Kazel's neck.

Kazel let out a gruff, joyful bark before charging off into the Fire Nation.


	12. The Red Lotus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> During his search for Air-bending teachings, Talos stumbles upon the illusive and sinister Red Lotus, but how will their encounter end?

Talos and Kazel travelled for over three weeks, beating the time Zin Bu said it would take to make it to the Southern Air Temple. Talos gazed up at the Mountain, spotting a large spire looming amongst the clouds.

"That must be it!" Talos muttered to himself, patting Kazel on the neck.

"Up the Mountain we go, Kazel!" He told him, but Kazel uneasily looked back at him as Talos gave him a reassuring head pat.

"We'll be fine, Kazel. I promise," Talos told him as Kazel let out a joyous bark, the two beginning their adventure up the mountainside. Talos assisted Kazel with pathways of ice, slowly but surely scaling the mountain, whilst the Elderly polar bear dog would often look down towards the ground, letting out low whines as the two climbed upwards, to which Talos would keep reassuring him.

"You're doing well Kazel!" He told him, slowly becoming short of breath from the constant path making, but after an hour of climbing, the two finally made it onto stable ground, falling flat out before the temple.

"Let's rest for a while," Talos breathlessly spoke, to which Kazel let out an affirmative brief howl. The two rested for hours, awaking to find the sun close to setting over the horizon, Talos nudged Kazel to wake up, the elderly polar bear dog perking his head up as he looked for danger.

"Let's move to the inside of the Temple, I'd rather not sleep out in the open tonight," Talos told him as he stood up, slowly stretching his limbs before proceeding forward, Kazel did the same, shortly following Talos into the Temple, however, the water-bender abruptly stopped upon seeing a campfire, kneeling down and inspecting it.

"This appears at least a day old..." Talos spoke as he examined the burnt wood before looking to Kazel.

"Proceed with caution," Talos told him as Kazel hunkered down, the two stealthily making their way into the temple.

As they investigated the temple, Talos could hear distant chattering and the flickering of embers. Proceeding light on his feet, he found the source behind a corner, spying a shadow on a pillar, listening closely to the people, hearing them chatter amongst themselves.

" _Three... no, four people. Two women, Two Men... all possibly over the ages of thirty,"_ Talos thought to himself, trying to listen in to their conversation.

"Has Unalaq sent any reports recently?" A woman asked.

"No... But we know the Avatar is still in the hands of the White Lotus!" A man replied.

"I told you we should've struck after that whole Republic City mess!" Another woman told him whilst Talos jerked back, trying to remain silent.

" _I need to find out more... but how!?"_ Talos thought to himself before an idea came to his mind.

"Hello? Is there anyone around here?" Talos called out, alerting the group.

"I came up here hoping to uncover teachings on the styles of Air-bending, although I've had no luck thus far!" Talos continued calling out as Kazel tilted his head to his friend.

The leader of the group, a man with long grey hair styled into a bushy ponytail and a short beard gestured to a tall woman with an odd eye tattoo on her forehead to retrieve Talos. The tall woman stood up walking out towards Talos and Kazel.

"Ah, a friendly face! At least... I hope you're friendly..." Talos played coy as the woman approached. She observed Talos, slithering her gaze up and down his body.

"Follow me," The tall woman told him, to which Talos grinned.

"Come, Kazel. We've found company!" Talos spoke in a cheery voice as Kazel uneasily walked forward.

The two entered the campsite of the four people Talos heard. The other two members were an armless black-haired woman and a moustached man with long flowing brown hair.

"Well... this seems welcoming!" Talos spoke in a deceptively oblivious tone, sitting down with Kazel before them.

"Why are you searching for Air-bending teachings, traveller?" The leader asked as Talos quickly thought of a reason.

"The Air Nomad culture is a fascinating thing, and I wished to learn more about it!" Talos told them, not entirely letting out the truth as the leader and the other three remained silent, all glaring at Talos, who slowly observed them.

 _"May as well just point a bunch of knives at me with those glares..."_ Talos thought to himself, clearing his throat to change the subject.

"So, what brings a... merry band of people like you four to the Southern Air Temple?" Talos asked them in a cheery tone as the four all looked to one another before turning their attention back to Talos.

"We are the four known members of the Red Lotus," The leader told them.

"P'li," The leader told him, gesturing to the tall woman.

"Ghazan," he added, gesturing to the Brown-haired man.

"Ming Hua," he added once more, gesturing to the armless woman.

"And myself, Zaheer!" Zaheer told him as he gestured to himself, making Talos smirk.

"The Red Lotus? Is that supposed to be a parody of The White Lotus?" Talos jested, to which he garnered no response, the tense atmosphere rising.

"We are a splinter group of The White Lotus, originally formed by a man known as Xai Bau," Zaheer explained as Talos raised a quizzical eyebrow to him.

"A Splinter group known as The Red Lotus... I assume there are more of you?" Talos curiously asked, delving deeper into the Rabbit hole.

"We have secret members in high-ranking positions of power in the Fire Nation, Earth Kingdom, Northern Water Tribe and Southern Water Tribe," Zaheer told him as Talos froze at the sound of 'Northern Water Tribe'.

"What, uh... is it you intend to do? Perhaps I could be of assistance to you!" Talos replied, trying to entice them to tell more as P'li worryingly looked to Zaheer, raising a hand to the grey man, signalling for him not to reveal too much, but Zaheer proceeded.

"We intend to usher in a new world order, reuniting the Spirits and Humans into one glorious world, we should not live separated from them, we should live united!" Zaheer passionately told him as Talos' eyes widened.

" _And here I thought they'd intend something much different..."_ Talos thought to himself.

"But how do you intend to do that? Surely mere humans cannot pull down the veil which divides our worlds?" Talos questioned them, to which Zaheer smiled.

"Reuniting the Spirits and Humans is our endgame. Our current goal is to bring down all world leaders, be them Lords, Ladies, Kings, Queens, Governors or Mayors, we will strip the world of their presence. Allowing the people to live in a world of true freedom!" Zaheer passionately explained.

" _And there it is..."_ Talos thought, thinking he'd jinxed his previous thought.

"... Including the Avatar," Zaheer told him in a threatening tone as Talos glared at him.

"Why kill the Avatar? They exist as a bringer of balance to the world, without them we woul-" "Live in a world of true freedom!" Talos tried arguing his point but Zaheer cut him off as the water-bender gritted his teeth.

"We need the Avatar in this world!" Talos argued as he jumped to his feet.

"And what makes you say that?" Zaheer asked as he jumped up from his seated position almost weightlessly.

"A random human plucked from all of us to continue a cycle and given authority over others from birth?" Zaheer argued back.

"The Avatar exists for a reason, although we've lost that reason to time now. Who are we to judge the choices of those beyond our comprehension?" Talos argued back, fists clenched as he snarled.

"The Avatar will either die or serve us as a weapon, by any means necessary!" Zaheer argued, keeping his cool demeanour, but Talos had finally snapped.

"I will not allow you to harm Claire!" Talos shouted as he formed a torrent of water from the clouds which encircled them, blasting Zaheer back into a column before pointing his finger towards The Red Lotus.

"The Avatar is my prey, and mine alone. I will not allow you Anarchist ingrates to stand in my way!" Talos confidently proclaimed as Kazel stood to his side, snarling at The Red Lotus who all stood to fight Talos.

The Red Lotus stood a fair distance from Talos, but Ming Hua formed two watery tentacles onto her shoulders, latching onto Talos as P'li took in an audible intake of air, pointing her attention towards Talos, intending to execute him on the spot, however, Talos quickly used Ming Hua's water against her, pulling the watery Tentacle into him and dragging Ming Hua with it, using her as a shield against P'li's oncoming attack.

Kazel leapt away as he saw the concentrated ray of heat travel towards Talos and Ming Hua, and the last thing the Armless Water-bender saw was the malicious smile on Talos' face as he kicked her into the oncoming ray, her body exploding as she hit the ray, knocking back Talos, P'li, Kazel and Ghazan.

"Quickly, Kazel, flee! I'll handle these three!" Talos told him, causing Kazel to retreat around the way they came in whilst Talos stood before an angered P'li, Ghazan and Zaheer.

"You'll pay for that!" Ghazan spoke as he heated the earth beneath Talos, transforming it into Lava, Talos swiftly leapt into the air, quickly bending water from a satchel then dosing the Lava with it.

"A Lava-bender? And here I thought only the Avatar could do that," Talos commented, as Ghazan smirked.

"Perhaps you shouldn't believe everything you hear!" Ghazan spoke as he brought two Clumps of the earth to him, heating them into bullets of Lava and shooting them at Talos whilst P'li charged another Combustion ray. Talos quickly dodged and fled around the corner, catching up with Kazel.

" _Fighting them whilst they're together is suicide... I'll need to divide and conquer!"_ Talos thought to himself as P'li gave chase whilst Zaheer and Ghazan began circling around to corner Talos.

Talos and Kazel reached a staircase, with a gigantic pile of snow beside it, snatching the water-bender's attention before he turned to his elderly polar bear dog.

"Kazel, hide amongst that!" Talos commanded him as he pointed to the snow. Kazel dived in, slowly making a snowy mould around himself, leaving a set of eye holes for him to see out of.

"Good boy!" Talos commented as he fled, Kazel let out a happy bark, causing Talos to turn back around.

"Don't make a sound, they'll catch you!" Talos told him before returning to flee.

P'li followed Talos up the staircase, finding a small balcony with four pillars within, knowing there was no way for him to hide, P'li knew he was in here as she slowly investigated the pillars.

Talos stood behind the pillar on the far left side but he had set up a small Ice cube behind the pillar diagonally from him, and upon noticing P'li had given chase, he quickly ducked back behind his pillar.

" _She always inhales prior to her attack. If I encapsulate her head in Ice just as she's about to strike, she'll be dead on the spot!"_ Talos thought to himself with a cunning grin.

Talos thawed the ice behind the pillar, causing water to spread out amongst the ground, catching P'li's attention as she smirked, trying to contain laughter, inhaling through her nose as her energy channelled up to her forehead, but Talos heard P'li inhale, quickly dashing out from his pillar with water in hand, but the Combustion Woman saw him in her Peripheral vision, trying to turn to him as he inched ever closer whilst the Combustion ray emerged from her tattoo, but Talos successfully encased her head in ice, causing an immediate explosion and knocking Talos into the far sidewall. Both Ghazan and Zaheer heard the explosion.

"Zaheer, I think P'li got him!" Ghazan shouted to Zaheer as he ran back the way he came, intending to reunite with P'li to see Talos combusted to a crisp.

The Combustion ray destroyed P'li's head and upper torso as well as charring her lower body. Her corpse stumbled and fell to the ground whilst a disorientated Talos chuckled to himself.

"Two to go!" Talos confidently spoke.

Ghazan sprinted around to where Talos had killed P'li, but he fell under the watchful gaze of Kazel, the mighty polar bear dog sprung out from the Snow, petrifying Ghazan as Kazel towered over him, slamming his paws onto Ghazan's chest, crushing his ribs as he bit down on Ghazan's neck, ripping it out with merciless ferocity, but quickly spitting out the flesh followed by shaking his open mouth, displeased by the taste of Ghazan.

Talos heard the wails of Ghazan as Kazel mauled his flesh, letting out a shaky chuckle as he stood back up.

"Good boy," Talos said with a smirk as he formed a watery tendril onto his hand, using it to pull himself up onto the level above him, sneaking around as to not alert Zaheer whilst Kazel began sniffing around for the final Red Lotus member, quickly picking up on him then following the trail whilst Talos sneaked around, encountering Zaheer who glared at him with a murderous gaze, but Talos stared at him with a confident grin.

"I'm two to none, and from the sounds of it, you're the only one left!" Talos taunted Zaheer, but the grey man assumed a stance Talos had never seen before, accidentally letting his guard down as he observed him, and with a mighty slash of Zaheer's arm, a razor-sharp blade of Air propelled towards Talos, the water-bender sensed the lethal breeze, leaping to his right, but his dodge came too late, and the air cleanly cleaved his left forearm from his body in one go, making Talos collapse to his knees as he grasped his severed arm.

"An Air-bender!? But how!? All the Air-benders died!" Talos bewilderingly shouted as Zaheer maliciously smirked.

"Do people still believe that?" Zaheer asked as he began swishing his arms around his form.

Talos' chest seemingly tightened, something happened within his body; within his lungs, Zaheer had begun pulling the air out from them. The water-bender grasped his throat, trying to stop it, but his breath left his mouth as it formed a sphere around his head, slowly suffocating him.

"You believe the Avatar is an essential part of this world, a person no one wanted who gets to dictate the freedom of others on a whim. But to the people of this world, freedom is just as essential as air!" Zaheer began monologuing to Talos as he slowly suffocated, his eyes turning bloodshot.

" _I've... come too far to die here..."_ Talos thought as he slowly lost consciousness, but to his luck Kazel approached Zaheer from behind, the elderly polar bear dog looming over him with his mighty form.

"And without air, there is no life, only De-" Zaheer spoke as Kazel bit down on his head, immediately crushing his skull as his body went limp.

The air from Talos' lungs slowly dissipated, causing him to collapse to the floor, gasping for air, whilst Kazel flailed Zaheer's corpse around like a rag doll, throwing him onto the floor before charging over to Talos, worryingly sniffing him, then sniffing his severed arm.

"Kazel... fetch me my arm," Talos groggily spoke as he gestured towards his arm. Kazel walked over to it, lightly picking up the arm in his mouth and carrying it to Talos.

"Good boy, now hold it still for me," Talos told him as Kazel sat with his arm held still whilst Talos stood up, pressing the severed parts together, then bending water up with his right hand, forming a blob of water around the severed parts of his arm, emitting a healing light, but the arm did not heal back together as Talos had hoped, it merely stopped the bleeding, to which Talos let out a disgruntled sigh.

"Perhaps I require a better healer," Talos commented, gesturing to Kazel to hand over the arm as the water-bender sealed it within a block of ice.

"Let's go Kazel... I need to find a healer... perhaps the Southern Water Tribe can help," Talos told him as he unsteadily climbed aboard Kazel, patting his neck slowly, Kazel let out a happy bark as the two began venturing through the temple, finding a secluded tunnel down the mountain.

"Of course... there's a Secret Tunnel..." Talos groaned as he buried his face in Kazel's fur whilst the elderly polar bear dog quietly howled 'through the mountain' in his canine tongue. The two ventured through the Secret Tunnel, finding themselves back at the base of the mountain.

Throughout their journey, Kazel had become fatigued, moving slower and slower as the days went by until Talos saw the Perimeter of the Southern Water Tribe in the distance, perking his head up with minor glee.

"Further Kazel, then we can get a decent night's rest!" Talos told him, to which Kazel let out a small grumble as the two proceeded forward, greeted by two Southern Water Tribe guards who halted them as they reached the gates.

"State your business!" One guard demanded.

"I... am Talos of the... Northern Water Tribe," Talos groggily spoke as the guards looked to each other, muttering to themselves as Talos and Kazel gazed at them.

"You are free to enter, Talos. If you need a healer, I suggest visiting your cousin, Korra," The guard suggested as Talos raised a sceptical eyebrow.

"I have a cousin?" Talos asked in surprise as the guards quizzically looked to him.

"Yes... and if you're here on political business on behalf of your father, I suggest visiting Chief Sokka!" The guards recommended, and as they mentioned Sokka, Talos remembered what Zaheer had told him.

"As a matter of fact... I have something important to tell Chief Sokka," Talos replied before entering the City of the Southern Water Tribe.

The Southern Tribe had grown significantly since the end of the one hundred year war, instead of a dingy area of igloos and tents, the Southern Tribe had now spread out as far as the eye could see, houses of stone and wood decorated the snowy terrain, and keeping to their roots with some buildings made almost entirely of ice, and Water-Benders had flourished in the Southern Tribe.

Talos hopped off Kazel to walk beside him whilst people who walked the streets gave Talos odd looks, especially at his severed arm, until he found a scruffy-looking man in a red jacket and white pants.

"Excuse me, you wouldn't know where I can find Chief Sokka?" Talos asked as the scruffy man gandered at him.

"He lives inside the large Ice building over there!" The scruffy man replied, gesturing to a large, almost castle-like building in front of them.

"I'll take you there right now!" The scruffy man added as he began leading the way to Sokka's Castle. The three walked together, eventually making it to the front of the ice castle, but two guards stopped them.

"Ah! Bumi, what brings you here?" The guards asked.

"Just bringing this young chap to meet Uncle Sokka," Bumi replied as he gestured to Talos.

"I'm from the Northern Tribe. And I have a warning for Chief Sokka about The Red Lotus," Talos told them, making the guards stand aside as Talos, Kazel and Bumi proceeded inwards.

The interior was almost akin to Unalaq's throne room, giving Talos the nostalgic sense of home. Sokka noticed Talos, Kazel and Bumi approach him, the Southern Chief's curiosity growing at the sight of Talos.

"Bumi, good to see you! But who's this guy?" Sokka asked, still keeping his wolf's tail styled hair, which had grown grey in the years, and a beard similar to that of his father's.

"This is Talos of the Northern Water Tribe, and he has news that may interest you, Uncle Sokka," Bumi informed him, but Sokka raised a sceptical eyebrow to his nephew.

"Talos... that doesn't sound very... water tribe-y," Sokka commented as Talos let out a brief sigh.

"A man from a far off land suggested the name to my father, Chief Unalaq, and it stuck," Talos explained.

"You're Chief Unalaq's son? In that case, come with me where we can speak privately," Sokka told him as he stood up from his throne, leading Talos and Kazel to a room off to the side of the throne room, Sokka's right-hand man and most trusted adviser, a man with short brown hair and a devious moustache, followed them in.

"I'll wait out here and keep watch on everything!" Bumi told Sokka as the Southern Chief patted his nephew's shoulder before entering the room.

Sokka and Talos sat at a Table, Kazel lay down next to Talos whilst Sokka's advisor stood beside Sokka.

"So, what is it you wanted to tell me?" Sokka eagerly asked as Talos leant in on the table, looking the Southern Chief in the eye.

"Have you ever heard of a Splinter group known as The Red Lotus, Chief Sokka?" Talos asked, to which the adviser's eyes widened, grasping the attention of Talos before redirecting his vision back to Sokka.

"You can just call me Sokka, I'm not much of a formal guy. But yes, I've heard of The Red Lotus," Sokka nonchalantly replied.

"Do you know that they've infiltrated high-ranking positions within every nation?" Talos asked him as the adviser began sweating from his brow, whilst Sokka assumed a more formal seating position, looking to Talos with a curious disbelieve.

"How do you know? I thought The Red Lotus was just four people," Sokka dauntingly asked.

"I met those four people at the Southern Air Temple, and they revealed their plans to me, possibly hoping I'd join them, and when I refused they attacked," Talos began explaining, The adviser's legs quaked causing Kazel to perk his head up slowly, looking to the adviser with an untrusting gaze.

"How did you get away?" Sokka curiously asked him as he leant in on the table whilst Talos looked to The Adviser with a steely gaze.

"I killed them, with the help of Kazel here," Talos told them as the Adviser almost gasped at the statement whilst Sokka stared in disbelieve.

"First there was Ming Hua who attempted to restrain me, but she and P'li didn't expect me to drag Ming Hua in and use her as a shield to block P'li's combustion ray," Talos explained.

"Then I fled in order to divide them, and when I faced P'li, I encased her head in ice as she formed an explosive ray, blowing off her head and most of her upper body," Talos began explaining the gory details.

"Nice, I did a similar thing to Sparky Sparky Boom Man during my time with Aang!" Sokka replied as he fondly recalled the memories.

"With your trusty boomerang. I've heard the stories," Talos told him with a smile.

"After P'li there was Ghazan, who Kazel ripped the throat out of, and finally Zaheer, an Air-bender who severed my arm and tried to suffocate me with the air from my own lungs," Talos continued retelling the story, but Sokka slanted his gaze in disbelieve.

"Wait, an Air-bender? They're all gone except for Tenzin and Jinora!" Sokka replied, not entirely believing Talos' story now.

"I thought the same... Zaheer must have known something about them, but Kazel bit his head off before he could finish the job," Talos finished explaining his story, much to the adviser's horror whilst Sokka thought for a moment.

"Although the part about Zaheer being an Air-bender seems a little... unbelievable, I doubt you'd cut your own arm off just to spin a story about facing The Red Lotus... but what do we do about The Secret members in high-ranking positions?" Sokka asked as Talos half-smiled.

"Before I say anymore, I have a question, Chief Sokka..." Talos replied as he leaned back in his chair.

"Go ahead," Sokka curiously told him.

"Do you know the signs of someone hiding a secret?" Talos asked as he gazed at the Adviser from his peripheral vision, making Sokka raise a quizzical eyebrow.

"I... can't say I do," Sokka nonchalantly replied as Talos cleared his throat.

"It often starts upon hearing something related to their secret. There's always a reaction, sometimes a small minute detail like say... the eyes widening," Talos began his explanation.

"As we talk about their secret more and more, anxiety rises in their body, legs quake, sweat breaks and if they hear something daunting about their secret they lose their breath," Talos continued explaining whilst Kazel glared at the adviser.

"And did you know a Polar Bear Dog is exceptionally talented at sniffing out rising anxiety?" Talos told them whilst Sokka continued gazing at Talos, the tension rising in the air.

"Anything else, Talos?" Sokka curiously asked.

"One last thing, when backed into a corner, about their secret, only two options remain. Fight or Flight. And well..." Talos explained, flicking his hand forward, and as he did, Sokka could hear the rapid freezing of water behind him, turning to see his adviser with a knife aimed at the back of the Southern Chief's neck.

"He chose Fight..." Talos finished speaking whilst Sokka looked at his adviser with shock as Bumi kicked the door down, pumping his fists ready to fight.

"What's going on in here!?" Bumi shouted as he stood ready to throw a fist.

"You're a part of The Red Lotus!?" Sokka angrily asked him but the ice restricted the adviser's jaw, preventing him from talking properly.

"The Red Lotus?" Bumi replied as he walked to the front of the adviser, poking at his face.

"This guy? Really?" Bumi curiously asked.

"I'm afraid he is. He must've gone through a great deal to earn your trust..." Talos told him as he looked to Sokka.

"Tell me, how should we deal with the Traitor?" Talos asked, hoping for violent justice, but Sokka let out a heavy sigh.

"Bumi, throw him in a cell for now..." Sokka replied in a disheartened voice.

"Will do, Uncle Sokka!" Bumi replied as he cracked the adviser's icy prison from the ground, lugging him away whilst Sokka, Talos and Kazel exited the room. The Southern Chief returned to the throne whilst Talos and Kazel stood before him.

"Thank you for warning me about The Red Lotus, Talos. I'll inform the leaders of the other nations immediately!" Sokka told him.

"For now, is there anything you need help with? That severed arm looks like it could do with treatment..." Sokka added as Talos grimaced at his severed arm.

"I heard a guard tell me of a Cousin called... Korea?" Talos replied, not remembering the name properly whilst Sokka thought to himself until he realised who Talos meant.

"Oh! You mean Korra, Tonraq's daughter, she runs a clinic just west of this building, she may be able to heal your arm fairly well!" Sokka informed him as Talos' eyes perked up at the sound of his uncle's name.

"Is Tonraq still here?" Talos eagerly asked.

"Yeah, he helps run the clinic," Sokka briefly replied whilst Talos bowed before him.

"Thank you for your help, Chief Sokka!" Talos replied before leaving whilst Sokka got comfy on his throne.

"No problem! And tell your Dad to return my messages, I haven't heard from the North in months!" Sokka told him as he left, but Talos became curious upon hearing the latter half of Sokka's statement.

" _Why would father ignore messages from the South... something's up..."_ Talos thought to himself as he left.

Talos and Kazel ventured to the west of the city, finding a building with a Water Droplet sign out front.

"If I was a guessing man, I'd say this is the clinic," Talos told Kazel, to which Kazel slowly nodded with an affirmative grumble.

The two ventured in to see a large burly man with shoulder-length brown hair and a Goatee, his eyes widening as he saw Talos.

"Talos! What are you doing here?" The man asked as Talos smiled.

"Uncle Tonraq! I'm here about, uh... well..." Talos replied as he raised his severed arm in the Iceblock, making Tonraq wince at the sight of it.

"Korra! Your cousin's here and needs help!" Tonraq shouted. A few seconds passed as the doors swung open, slamming into the wall.

"I have a Cousin?" Korra said aloud, the brown-haired blue-eyed woman with a blue sleeveless shirt and baggy greyish-blue pants spooking both Talos and Kazel.

"Good to know both of us have never heard of one another," Talos commented as Tonraq cleared his throat.

"This is Talos, he's Unalaq's son and your cousin. I know my brother and I don't get along, but I like Talos," Tonraq explained as Korra approached him, observing the severed parts of Talos' arm then looking to Tonraq.

"Are you sure I can heal that back on?" Korra asked, unsure of herself.

"If not, at least heal the arm until it's a stump," Tonraq told her as Korra nodded, leading Talos into the back room, Kazel attempted to follow but Talos halted him.

"It may be best if you stay out here with Tonraq, Kazel," Talos told him, the polar bear dog let out a low grumble before slowly walking over to Tonraq who patted him on the head, making Kazel's tail slowly wag.

Talos and Korra walked into the back room, several chairs lined across the walls of the room and a medical table positioned in the centre.

"Just lay on there and I'll see what I can do about your arm!" Korra told Talos as he passed the ice-blocked arm to the medic before slowly hopping onto the table, laying down flat.

Korra thawed the ice, allowing the arm to be free as she held the water in her hand, placing the severed parts of the arm against one another, before placing the water around the entire arm.

The water emitted a radiant healing light, but the arm did not heal back together, merely forming a stump around the severed parts of Talos' arm, to which he let out a disappointed sigh.

"Sorry about your arm," Korra abruptly apologised as Talos hopped off the table, picking up the arm.

"I'll find some way to get this back on... or at least a way to replace it," Talos replied as he put the arm back on the ice, proceeding towards the door, But as he did Tonraq opened the door with a hesitant look.

"Talos I think something's wrong with Kazel..." He uneasily told him as Talos immediately rushed through without a word, running towards Kazel and sitting down next to him while the polar bear dog lay on the ground seemingly uninterested in anything.

"Kazel, are you alright?" Talos asked him, worry washing over him as Kazel slowly lifted his head up to Talos' lap.

"Talos... how old is Kazel?" Tonraq asked as he and Korra approached. Talos looked up at him as he thought to himself.

"I've known him all my life, so possibly eighteen or twenty years old," Talos replied as he placed his right hand on Kazel's head.

"Polar Bear Dogs usually only have the life span of Eighteen years, I'm afraid Kazel's old age is catching up to him," Tonraq explained as he crossed his arms. Talos looked down at Kazel who let out a low whimper.

"And me taking you on this near five-year-long journey hasn't helped has it..." Talos sombrely spoke to Kazel as he placed his hand on Kazel's chest, Kazel replied with a low gruff before looking up at Talos.

"You've been a Good boy, Kazel," Talos told him with a saddened smile as Kazel licked his face before his head lowered back down to his lap, closing his eyes, and in the final moments, Kazel's heart stopped as Talos let out a disheartened sigh.

"... He's gone," Talos spoke as he hung his head, but as he did Kazel's body began emitting a hazy light.

"What's happening?" Talos asked as his head perked up, looking to Tonraq and Korra for an explanation.

"The animals of this world have a strong connection with the spirits, almost as if they're spirits themselves, and when an animal naturally passes on, their bodies turn into Spiritual energy, dissipating across the world," Tonraq explained, and just as he said, Kazel's body slowly turned into Spiritual Energy, flowing up into the air then out of the window, a departing howl reverberating as the Spiritual energy dissipated.

"Goodbye, Kazel... And thank you!" Talos spoke as a single tear streaked from his right eye, lowering his head in grief.

"Do you perhaps have a... fast way to get home?" Talos asked them.

"We have air balloons, I'll ask Chief Sokka if you can take one of those back to the North Pole!" Tonraq told him before leaving the room whilst Talos slumped down on a nearby chair.

The moments passed as Talos mourned the passing of Kazel, the doors to the clinic opened, Tonraq, Bumi and Sokka entering the room and carefully approaching Talos.

"I'm sorry to hear about Kazel, but if you're planning to go home, we'll happily lend you an airship!" Sokka told him as Talos let out a heavy sigh before standing up.

"Thank you, Chief Sokka," Talos replied with a bow as Sokka smiled at him before leading him to the airship yard.

They had lined the Air balloons across an ice field, all ready to fly. Talos picked one out whilst Sokka showed him how it worked and taught him how to use it.

Sokka hopped off the airship, thinking Talos had learnt enough as he watched him soar off into the air, waving him goodbye whilst Talos flew off into the distance, back to the North Pole.


	13. The Path of Envy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Kazel's passing, Talos returns home, but an idea worms into his mind, and he ventures into the Spirit World, in search of a way to realise his self-perceived destiny.

Talos soared through the late afternoon skies, alone with his thoughts as questions about recent events plagued his mind.

" _Why would my father be a part of The Red Lotus?"_ Talos thought to himself, clenching his fist as he thought about it.

" _Is that why he told me I was The Avatar? To make me join those people?"_ Talos continued thinking to himself, gritting his teeth at the thought of Unalaq.

" _And what does that mean for Claire? Could he have already got to her?"_ Talos became concerned for Claire, despite his envy.

"Claire... You being the Avatar shattered my pride and broke my spirit... and although your existence is something I loathe... I'll be damned if I allow that snake to do anything to you!" Talos proclaimed, as Republic City came into view: The Grand Metropolis taking the Water-bender's breath away, but his empty stomach quickly tarnished the amazement.

"I... should've packed some supplies whilst at the South Pole..." Talos told himself as he gripped his stomach, looking back to Republic City.

"Perhaps there's a place to eat down there," Talos wheezily spoke, spying the Derelict Estate and beginning his descent towards it.

Talos stopped on the shores of the Derelict Estate, allowing the boat of the airship to float on the water before exiting the airship, but as he did an odd sound of sliding metal came from within the houses, making Talos immediately duck down as he crept around the house it came from, hearing the sliding metal sound happened again, followed by a man grunting as if pulling something heavy.

Talos stuck to the shadows as he slowly ventured near the front of the house, seeing a man with black unkempt hair and a leather pouch slung around his shoulder, but Talos couldn't see his face.

" _Why am I sneaking around like some kind of thief?"_ Talos thought to himself as he stood up straight, seeing that the man had ventured far away from the house, but he had piqued Talos' curiosity: He wanted to know where he came from.

The feckless Water-bender walked around to the front door, creeping in, discovering no one inside as he observed the drag marks on the ground, looking at the Pallet which created them.

"This must be what that man moved..." Talos told himself as he began pushing the pallet aside to reveal a large metal door.

Talos wondrously looked at it, pressing his hand to the metal before spying a button to his side, instinctively pressing on it to see what would happen, causing the metal door to slide open before his eyes, but seeing the tiny room before him made the water-bender sceptical.

"Why does this just lead to a small room? Surely he's not just some... mad man in a box..." Talos asked himself as he stepped inside, but as he heard the metal door close behind him, his anxiety jumped through the roof.

" _This room was a trap!"_ Talos thought to himself as the room suddenly descended, his stomach jumping up into his rib-cage as he dropped to his knees.

"What's happening to me!?" Talos asked himself as he panicked further, but the door reopened, revealing Kang's lab to Talos, his eyes widening upon seeing the inventions.

"It's as if this thing has transported me several hundred years into the future..." Talos told himself as he cautiously entered the room, observing the inventions as the futuristic ambience and fire pickled scent of the room set in.

Talos stood before Kang's workbench, looking at the schematics on the table with curious wonder.

"Capturer of Moments?" Talos curiously spoke as he observed a schematic which showed a small square-shaped device with a lens and a slim entry or exit point. Talos picked up another schematic.

"Fire Fuel Mk Seven Hundred and Sixty-One!?" Talos spoke aloud as he observed the schematic which showed a metal canister with a rod within it. He placed the schematics down as he turned his attention to another.

"Bending Prosthetic Mk nine?" Talos spoke as he observed the schematic, showing what appeared to be an ordinary prosthetic arm, and as Talos looked around, he noticed a part of the wall which seemed elevated off of the actual wall, then saw a button to his side, hesitantly reaching out to press it.

But as he pressed the button, the raised part of the wall slid out revealing eight prosthetic arms, one which caught Talos' attention greatly.

But as he reached out for it, he could hear the faint sound of footsteps in the distance, panicking and immediately ducking under the desk as a different door on the far side of the room opened up.

Talos could hear a woman humming a tune to herself, and all he could see were her Black slops and Dark Green boots, the water-bender struggled to maintain a steady breath as he tried to remain quiet, hearing the woman stop her humming and appearing to be facing the workbench, causing Talos to break out into a nervous sweat.

" _She's found me, hasn't she!?"_ Talos thought until he heard the woman speak.

"Kang left the cabinet open? That's not like him..." The woman spoke as Talos became more unnerved, considering giving himself up, but the woman let out a dismissive sigh.

"I guess there's a first time for anything," The woman said aloud as she closed the cabinet of prosthetics, slowly walking away and into the small room, ascending up to higher ground.

Talos breathed a sigh of relief as he climbed out, standing back up and reopening the cabinet, looking towards the Prosthetic with a blade attachment. The blade was akin to a Scythe, its Silvery blade was sharper than any weapon Talos had come across before, and the arm attachment was a solid black with a shiny metal ring around the edge which would attach to the stump. Talos grasped the Blade Prosthetic and a leather scabbard which hung behind it, containing the schematics and notes for the Blade Prosthetic. the eager water-bender unfolded the notes to read.

" _Blade-Bending Prototype: I've seen people bend with their arms, their hands, their legs and feet, even their mouths! But I've never seen bending done with a Blade. This is partly for fun to see if it's possible to bend with a blade as well as partly for progress to see how well the user's natural chi-paths would interact with artificial chi-paths,"_ Talos read aloud, looking to the Blade Prosthetic with curious wonder.

"I'll look... very suspicious if I'm seen wearing this..." Talos told himself, covering the blade with the leather scabbard then placing it within his sack of supplies along with the schematics and notes, quickly evacuating the room the way he came in, ascending back up to the Derelict Estate.

The metal door opened before Talos, only for him to find the Pallet blocking his way, but he lifted it with his right hand and move it aside, sliding out and then repositioning it back into its original spot. Talos observed his surroundings to ensure no one waited for him, and upon seeing that the coast was clear, Talos ran out into the Derelict Estate and into the streets of Republic City.

The Sun hovered over the Horizon as Talos walked through the streets, looking at stalls whilst he gripped his stomach, and as his head hung low, he bumped into a goggled man, causing the water-bender to stumble to his knees from fatigue and hunger.

"Oh, are you alright?" the goggled man asked as he supported Talos back up. The water-bender looked at the goggled man, his vision hazy and his breath bated.

"I'm... fine, just famished is all," Talos nonchalantly replied, intending to go on his way.

"If you're short on money, here!" the goggled man told him as he gave Talos a sack of gold piece, perplexing the water-bender as he held the sack of gold.

"Why would you give me this? You don't even know me?" Talos curiously asked, but the goggled man shrugged.

"I enjoy helping! If you're looking for a good place to eat, I'd recommend Piando's Bakery or exploring around Little Ba Sing Se! You can't miss 'em," the goggled man recommended as he began walking away.

"See you around, possibly!" the goggled man waved back to Talos as he left, leaving him confused but thankful.

"Strange man... but he was kind," Talos told himself as he bounced the sack in his hand before putting it in with his other supplies.

Talos ventured around town, spying a replica of the rings of Ba Sing Se in the distance, smirking to himself as he ventured towards it.

" _This must be the... little Ba Sing Se that man mentioned,"_ Talos thought as he entered the lower ring, venturing around the food stalls and gathering a miniature buffet from multiple stalls, wolfing it down with reckless abandon, filling himself up once more as he ventured into the middle ring, spying an open store.

"I wonder what they have for sale..." Talos asked himself as he walked over to the store, venturing inside to see cosmetics, wigs, coloured contact lenses, and small trinkets. The smell of incense burnt in the air as a short and stout shopkeeper with a partially bald head and tiny moustache rushed out and approached Talos.

"Welcome, customer!" _"I hope..."_ The shopkeeper enthusiastically greeted him as he quickly thought to himself.

"Hello... Can I ask what all this stuff is?" Talos asked as he looked around at their products.

"Here we sell products that people can use to dress up as someone else!" The shopkeeper explained.

"Dress as someone else? Why would anyone want to do that?" Talos sceptically asked.

"Well, for fancy dress parties and stuff. Some people often like to dress up as Avatars, so my brother had this idea of creating Avatar figurines!" The shopkeeper explained as he raced behind the counter-top, pulling out figurines of Avatar Yangchen, Kuruk, Kyoshi, Roku, and Aang.

"We've got five Avatars made so far with a sixth on the way!" The shopkeeper told him as Talos gazed at the wooden figurines.

"Who's the sixth Avatar you're going to make? Avatar Szeto by any chance?" Talos asked, but the shopkeeper shook his head.

"Nah, we're struggling to find a good picture of him to get his design down, so we're making one of the new Avatar!" The shop owner replied as he pulled out a colourless wooden figurine of Claire.

"Thinking about it, I could ask that Avatar what he looks like," The Shopkeeper mumbled whilst Talos' heart skipped a beat, his nerves tensing as he gazed at the incomplete figurine.

"Claire has her own figurine!?" Talos exclaimed as he gritted his teeth.

"Yeah, she killed a guy called Amon who was trying to overthrow the City... although half the city doesn't even remember," The shopkeeper explained as he looked over the figurine.

"Claire killed someone? That's... quite out of character," Talos replied as he placed his hand to his chin whilst the shopkeeper nodded his head.

"Yeah, she didn't kill him when she first had the chance, so her doing it is... suspicious," the shopkeeper replied whilst Talos theorised to himself.

"That and some witnesses say they saw bolts of lightning shooting out from city hall, and some goggle-wearing Fire-bender used lightning against Amon the night Republic City fell to his hands," The shopkeeper added, interlocking his fingers as he gazed to Talos.

"Lightning Generation... impossible, there's no way Claire knows how to do that!" Talos adamantly replied as the shopkeeper slapped his hands in approval.

"Exactly what I thought! But the Governors are adamant that 'The Avatar slew Amon and saved the City', and hey, if my brother and I can make a profit off her 'success', I'm not going to complain," The shopkeeper nonchalantly replied as Talos lightly scoffed, turning his head to the cosmetics, a plan taking root in his mind.

"Tell me how much for that brown hairpiece and these... blue things?" Talos asked as he picked up a set of blue colour contacts.

"Three gold pieces!" The shopkeeper replied as he placed the Avatar Figurines back on their shelf.

Talos pulled out the sack, seeing four gold pieces left, taking out three and placing them down on the counter.

"How do these blue..." Talos spoke as he looked at the box, "'Coloured contacts' work?" Talos finished as the shopkeeper pulled out a display box, flipping it open as he withdrew the contacts.

"Open the container, put them on the tip of your finger and _gently_ put it on the iris of your eye!" The shopkeeper explained as he put a red colour contact onto his iris, his eye now appearing red, making Talos smirk as he put the wig and contacts in his sack.

"Thank you!" Talos replied with a bow before taking his leave, making his way back to his airship.

Talos walked through the Derelict Estate, but as he did, the water-bender spotted two figures standing by his Ship: one Giant and Burly, the other Short and Skinny.

"Do you think this is one of Kang's inventions?" the Giant asked as he gestured to the airship.

"Hmm... no, Kang wouldn't leave an air-" the Short man's eye twitched as he spoke.

"Kang wouldn't go leaving one of his inventions out in the open!" the shot man replied, his personality changing as Talos raised an eyebrow to the two, clearing his throat to grasp their attention.

"That is my Airship. Or at least one lent to me by the Southern Water Tribe," Talos told them as he approached whilst the two sceptically looked to each other.

"How do we know you're telling the truth?" the short man asked as he perked over to Talos, pointing his finger at him.

"What reason would I have to lie? Now stand aside! I need to get going," Talos dismissively replied as he brushed the short man aside, but he took offence to Talos' actions, bending the air around Talos, pulling him back and throwing him to the ground.

"Kaz!" the Giant shouted as Talos leapt back up, his hair ruffled as he glared at Kaz.

"Not another one!" Talos shouted as he gritted his teeth, but before Kaz could make another move, the giant embedded him in the earth, and Kaz shuffled around to the Giant, glaring at him.

"What have we talked about, Kaz?" the giant asked as he disapprovingly looked at him.

"Be nice to strangers..." Kaz begrudgingly replied.

"Correct," the Giant replied, turning his attention to Talos.

"I apologise for my friend's outburst. This side of him is a bit hotheaded," the Giant explained as Talos quickly rushed over to his airship, hopping inside it and preparing to ascend.

"Well, thank you for restraining him, farewell now!" Talos swiftly replied as he ascended to the skies. The Giant removed the earth from around Kaz as the short man shook the dirt from his vest.

"Hey, what do you think he meant by 'Not another one'?" Kaz curiously asked as the Giant's fluffy eyebrows perked up.

"Hmm... we probably should've asked..." the Giant replied, both looking to each other and shrugging before turning around to head home.

Talos soared through the night skies of the northern Earth Kingdom and into the frozen lands of the North Pole, seeing Unalaq's fortress in the distance, snarling at it as he saw it, but as he did, a realisation came to him.

" _The Spirit Oasis..."_ Talos thought as he glided over Unalaq's fortress, descending onto the roof and deftly leaping down into the Spirit Oasis.

Talos took in the area's warmth, deeply breathing before walking to the two Koi fish within the oasis, standing before them and bowing.

"Tui, Spirit of the Moon. La, Spirit of the Ocean. I request that you open the way into the Spirit World!" Talos formally requested as a moment of silence came over the oasis before a light blinked from the bottom of the oasis. The water glowed with radiant spirit energy as Talos jerked back.

"So... the rumours were right: The Spirit Oasis is a way into the Spirit World!" Talos told himself before he dived into the oasis.

He swam towards the light, spotting a Spirit Portal at the bottom, reaching out his hand and pressing his palm to the portal as a light engulfed his body.

Talos reappeared inside the Nexus, catching his breath as he sat at the side of the Spirit Portal, before standing up straight, gazing around at The Nexus.

"The Spirit World is... different from what I expected..." Talos told himself as he strode around the hollow tree, stepping atop another Spirit Portal, a light engulfing him as it shined bright beneath him, causing Talos to fall through the Portal and reappear near a large island by a Cliff-side.

"What happened!?" Talos exclaimed as he looked around, seeing the large island, the sun over the horizon and the calm waters below.

"Could this... be the Spirit World?" Talos asked himself as he looked around, walking away from the portal and out into the vibrant fields, seeing Spirit Animals gleefully running around the field whilst he stared with curious wonder, whereas the Spirits fearfully looked back at him, inaudible chatter surrounding the area as Talos ventured through the field.

Talos travelled for hours before finding a tea house, raising an eyebrow at its presence.

"What's a tea house doing in the Spirit World of all places...?" Talos asked to himself as he approached the tea house, sneaking around to the entrance. No door stood in his way, so Talos knocked on the doorway.

"Hello? Is anyone here?" Talos asked as he inched into the small and cosy tea-house, a door opening before him. Talos raised his fist to the oncoming presence, but to the Water-Bender's surprise, he did not see an animal spirit, but a human, dropping his defensive stance as the old man approached him.

"Oh... another human," Talos commented, standing up straight as the tea maker smiled at him.

"More or less," the tea maker replied with a smile as he walked over to his teapot.

"Can I ask, who are you?" Talos curiously asked.

"My name is Iroh, and I run this Tea shop!" the tea maker happily replied as he made several cups of tea, taking them outside to spirits who had gathered around the tea house.

Talos looked out of the doorway, flinching upon seeing so many spirits as Iroh turned around to see Talos peaking out behind the doorway.

"There's no need to be frightened, the Spirits won't harm you!" Iroh reassured Talos as he inched out from the tea house, catching the attention of the Spirits.

"Hello... everyone," Talos greeted the spirits as they looked at him for a moment before returning their attention to their tea, and after Iroh had finished dishing out the tea, he walked back over to Talos.

"So, what brings you here... and physically!?" Iroh asked as he exclaimed at Talos' physical presence in the Spirit World.

"I'm here in search of... ancient bending techniques, and possibly some teachings on Air-Bending," Talos explained as Iroh's eyes widened. The two walked back into the tea house, away from prying ears.

"I know where you can find what you search for, but I will need to accompany you!" Iroh adamantly informed him as Talos raised a sceptical eyebrow at Iroh's comment.

"Why?" Talos curiously asked.

"The Knowledge Spirit does not enjoy the presence of humans, but I have a good relationship with him. So I may be able to convince him to make an exception!" Iroh heartily explained.

"I would be grateful if you took me to this Knowledge Spirit!" Talos replied with a bow as Iroh smiled and proceeded out of the Tea House, looking to a Gorilla-Bear Spirit drinking his tea.

"Xiong, I'm going away for a while. Can you look after the Tea house?" Iroh asked.

"Sure!" Xiong replied with a happy nod as Iroh and Talos ventured over to the nearby Spirit Portal.

The Light engulfed Iroh and Talos, transporting them to The Nexus. Iroh casually strolled across to a Spirit Portal whilst Talos observed his surroundings.

"What is this place?" Talos curiously muttered as he walked towards Iroh.

"This is The Nexus. Some spirits call it 'The Bridge Between Worlds'," Iroh informed him as Talos slanted his eyes.

"I thought the Avatar was 'The Bridge Between Worlds'?" Talos asked as he stepped atop a different Spirit Portal.

"The Avatar is the Metaphorical Bridge, this is the Literal Bridge!" Iroh explained as he gestured to their surroundings, but before Talos could utter another word, the light engulfed them once more, transporting them to the outside of Wan Shi Tong's Library, the grand structure ominously looming over them.

Iroh walked towards the library with Talos cautiously following behind. The two reached the gates of the Library, gently swinging them open as Talos marvelled at the interior, seeing books and scrolls as far as the eye could see, but a giant black Owl, Wan Shi Tong, swiftly averted his vision.

"I do not allow humans to enter my libr-" Wan Shi Tong spoke as he turned his head to Iroh.

"Oh, Iroh. What brings you here? And with a human?" Wan Shi Tong curiously asked him.

"This young man wishes to learn of Ancient Bending techniques, I believe he's worthy to gain access," Iroh explained as Wan Shi Tong looked Talos up and down.

"Does he have any knowledge with him to donate?" Wan Shi Tong sceptically asked as Talos froze, wincing at Wan Shi Tong's piercing gaze before he remembered the Blade Arm.

"I do!" Talos confidently replied as he gently dropped his sack of supplies in front of him, rummaging through and pulling out the Schematics and notes for the Blade Arm, handing them to Wan Shi Tong.

"Are Schematics and Notes about a Prosthetic Blade Arm suitable?" Talos asked with a confident smirk, but Wan Shi Tong remained silent, brushing his wing along the schematics and notes.

"This is unique. A Fine addition!" Wan Shi Tong happily replied.

"Enjoy your time at the library, Human," Wan Shi Tong added before descending into the abyss, but Iroh gazed to Talos with a curious glare.

"Where did you get something like that?" Iroh asked as Talos froze.

"I, uh... found them. A scientist died on a roadside and I found these schematics and notes during my adventures," Talos lied, trying to keep up his confidence as Iroh slanted his gaze, brushing off the subject.

Iroh guided Talos to the area regarding Ancient Bending techniques. Showing him the vast array of tomes and scrolls, the water-bender gawking in awe as he quickly began sifting through them whilst Iroh peacefully sorted through a catalogue of tomes. Talos found a peculiar-looking scroll, opening it up and beginning to read.

" _Spirit-bending, an art separate to the four elements in which the user can bend and bind Spirits to their will. The first known Spirit-Bender was Avatar Shen-Chao. The user can bind multiple Spirits, and once bound the user must give them a command,"_ Talos read in his head, studying the forms before glancing over to a knowledge-seeking fox, then over to Iroh.

Talos outstretched his hand towards the Fox, replicating the movements on the scrolls as a slender tendril outstretched from his hand, linking the minds of the Fox Spirit and Talos.

" _Bring me whatever Wan Shi Tong has on the Avatar Spirit!"_ Talos transmitted his command with a malicious smile, retracting the tendril as the Fox Spirit walked away, its gaze distant as it proceeded deep into the library, but Iroh turned his unsure gaze to Talos.

"What did you just do?" Iroh demanded to know as Talos froze.

"Oh, I just saw the fox and wanted to pet it, sadly it wasn't up for it!" Talos lied as Iroh's gaze turned every more untrusting, returning to his tomes as Talos continued searching whilst he waited for the knowledge seeker to return. Talos pulled another scroll from the shelf, gently unravelling it.

" _Flesh manipulation. A skill of blood-bending which allows the user to manipulate their flesh or that of their enemies. Its primary use is to mutilate an enemy's flesh, or manipulate your own..!"_ Talos read within his mind, sewing a devilish plan into his mind as a look of malice came over him.

Whilst Talos continued reading through ancient tomes and aged scrolls, the knowledge seeker returned with a ragged leather-bound book, handing it to Talos before turning away. Talos flicked open the book, gleefully reading through it.

" _The Spirit of the Avatar is not one, but two spirits. The Spirit of Order: Vaatu. And The Spirit of Chaos: Raava. These spirits carry out my wish to continue on as an Arbiter of Balance, passing my soul and the souls of other Avatars onto the next. A never-ending cycle,"_ Talos read in his head, seeing depictions of the two spirits in grand detail.

" _The Spirit Portals of the world are peculiar things. Five exist within each world, one in each nation and one deep beneath whale-tail island, why the southern world has two spirit portals and not one is beyond me. Perhaps the Primordial Lion turtles just like things in fives,"_ Talos continued reading, but before he could continue further Wan Shi Tong swooped in, swiping the book from Talos' grasp.

"Where did you get this!?" Wan Shi Tong demanded, his wings spread and poised to strike.

"That book was on the shelf, just here!" Talos told him as he gestured to an empty spot on the shelf, whilst Iroh looked to Wan Shi Tong and Talos, staying out of the conflict.

"This tome should be in my private collection!" Wan Shi Tong replied, making Talos quickly think of an excuse.

"Perhaps one of your Fox Spirits misplaced it, I humbly apologise for looking in the book!" Talos replied, bowing to Wan Shi Tong as the great owl thought to himself.

"Maybe you are correct... I will let you off, but just this once. If you find anything else from my private collection: avert your gaze and give it to Iroh," Wan Shi Tong commanded.

"How will I know if it's from your private collection?" Talos asked as he crossed his arms.

"If you read from a book or a scroll and think 'Hmm, I'd have this in a Private Collection' assume I would too," Wan Shi Tong sarcastically replied as he left, Talos scoffing at the Owl as he departed with the book. Talos curiously looked to the Spirit-Bending scroll, unravelling it once more.

" _Spirit-Bending can also be used to rip out Spirits which have merged with humans by cleaving through their seven chakras..."_ Talos read to himself, smirking as he thought.

" _It's all coming together! I shall rectify the universe's errors in due time..."_ Talos thought to himself, placing the blood-bending and spirit-bending scrolls down on a small footstool.

"Iroh, I think I'm ready to leave!" Talos called over to him.

The two departed for the gates, but as they crossed into the junction of the bridges, Talos glanced over to what he thought was another human, running over to them only to find a rotted skeleton, his heart skipping a beat as dread washed over him.

"What in the world!?" Talos exclaimed as he leapt back, catching Iroh's attention as he walked over to Talos.

"I believe that was a professor from Ba Sing Se... he came here with Aang and his friends. Whether Wan Shi Tong allowed him to live is a question we shouldn't ask," Iroh explained as Talos caught his breath, standing up straight and backing away from the skeleton.

The two exited the Library, venturing over to the Spirit Portal as the light engulfed them, transporting them to The Nexus.

"Might I give you some advice before you return to the mortal world?" Iroh curiously requested as the two stood next to a spirit portal.

"Go on," Talos indulged him as Iroh adamantly gazed at him.

"Lying to a knowledge spirit is inadvisable. Although you convinced Wan shi Tong, you didn't convince me. I know you made that Fox spirit retrieve the book... I don't know how, but please do not do something so shameful again," Iroh replied as Talos lightly scoffed.

"Point taken, Iroh," Talos dismissively replied as the two stepped atop the Spirit Portal, a light engulfing them once more and transporting them to the outskirts of Iroh's tea shop.

"IROH!!" Xiong's voice bellowed in the distance, Iroh's eyes widening as he ran towards the tea house, but Talos remained by the spirit portal, slanting his gaze as he watched Iroh leave.

Talos pulled his sack of supplies out in front of him, a devilish smile creeping over his face.

"It's time..." Talos told himself as he pulled the Blade Arm from his supplies, grafting it onto his left stump, leaving his supply sack by the portal.

Iroh's tea house had seen a burst of popularity since his departure, hundreds of spirits crowding around as Xiong and Iroh desperately tried to get them all served.

"Talos! We could use a-" Iroh called over as he noticed Talos strutting towards the crowd of spirits, the silver sheen of the blade glistening in the sunlight.

Talos flexed his right arm as he approached, an uncontrollable grin encroaching over his face as his hand glowed with a malicious light, striking it out towards the horde of spirits, multiple tendrils linking Talos to them as they all blankly gazed into the distance, leaving only Iroh unaffected.

"SPIRITS! BRING ME THE AVATAR! BRING ME THE WHITE HAIRED WOMAN KNOWN AS CLAIRE!" Talos demanded as a dark aura shot along the tendrils, infecting the spirits with Talos' command as their eyes turned white, their souls and minds closed off, only one goal drove them: Talos' command.

The Insane Spirits roared and charged out into the Spirit world, calling for the Avatar as Iroh looked at Talos in shock.

"What have you done!?" Iroh angrily asked as Talos menacingly flexed out his arms, standing before Iroh.

"I am fixing the errors of the Universe! I will become The True Avatar! And no one will stand in my way, Not even you, Iroh!" Talos proclaimed as he pulled his satchel off, cleaving the blade through it, his chi coursing along his arm and into the prosthetic, as the water-bender slashed the water out at Iroh, freezing the tea maker on the spot.

"Talos!" Iroh shouted as he tried breaking out of the ice, but Talos chuckled to himself as he twisted around to return to the Mortal world.

"Farewell, Iroh! And thank you for your help!" Talos told him as he departed for the Spirit Portal. Iroh broke free from the ice, giving chase to Talos, but as he came an arm's reach of him, the light engulfed Talos, transporting him to The Nexus as Iroh let out a defeated sigh, hanging and shaking his head.

"I am sorry..." Iroh spoke as he looked to the sky, dismally marching back to his tea house.

Talos emerged inside The Nexus, quickly dashing over to the North Pole Spirit Portal, the light engulfing him as he reappeared at the bottom of the oasis, quickly swimming upwards and out of the water.

"One last thing to do before my plans are set in motion..." Talos told himself as he glared at Unalaq's fortress, climbing from the oasis and onto the grass.

Talos marched into Unalaq's fortress, invading his father's private study. The light of the full moon shined through the window, briefly illuminating the room as a fire crackled in the fireplace. Talos rested in a chair, facing away from the door as he waited for Unalaq to arrive.

Talos waited for half an hour before hearing the door open and close gently. Unalaq had entered, spying an arm draped on his chair as his heart skipped a beat.

"Hello, Unalaq," Talos greeted him, his voice coated with malice like a poisoned dagger as Unalaq's eyes widened.

"Talos? Is that you, son?" Unalaq asked as his voice lightly choking, but Talos scoffed.

"Do you really deserve to call me that?" Talos asked, chilling anger boiling in his tone as Unalaq slanted his gaze, standing tall before his son.

"What are you playing at? You disappear for near enough five years and show up out of nowhere in my study and start talking nonsense!?" Unalaq asked him, demanding to know what was going on.

"I know all about you and The Red Lotus, Unalaq," Talos told him as he remained seated in the chair, Unalaq's heart racing as he gasped.

"You... know about them?" Unalaq shakily asked as Talos stood up from the chair, turning to face his father, the fire illuminating the blade arm, making Unalaq lightly jumped back.

"Yes, I do. And I know all about your plot to hand Claire over to them," Talos replied as he slithered towards his father, remaining poised whilst Unalaq shuddered.

"I believe in their cause! If it weren't for Claire being The Avatar. We could've done great things together!" Unalaq told him, trying to convince Talos he meant him no harm, but Talos scoffed at his remarks.

"Claire won't be the Avatar for long. And you won't need to worry about The Red Lotus," Talos replied, his voice sinisterly calm yet as his blade began arching out.

"Talos, son... settle down!" Unalaq nervously demanded as he raised his hands.

"I am calm," Talos replied as Unalaq's heart raced.

"You would've handed me or Claire over to a group of Pathetic Anarchists, betraying us and her family... you're no father, just another obstacle that stands in my way!" Talos told him, swiftly lunging in at Unalaq, slicing through his body with ease, the northern chief let out one last scream as his severed body collapsed to the floor, soaking the ground in blood as Talos gazed at the split corpse.

Talos moved his hand towards his face, rigidly moving his fingers as he gazed at Unalaq's face, transforming his face into that of his father's before turning to the mirror and curiously looking at himself.

"Perfectly repulsive," Talos told himself as he pulled the colour contacts and wig from his sack, putting the blue colour contacts on his iris', then tying his hair up tightly and placing the wig on his head, styling it into his father's style before walking over to his corpse and looting the accessories in his hair, finishing his look with a long navy blue robe. Talos, now perfectly disguised as his father, strode out of the study, locking the door and resting for the night.

Dawn broke over The North Pole as Talos awoke, looking in the mirror to see the transformation had stayed, smirking at himself before he left the fortress, being greeted by several citizens and soldiers, but to his surprise Talos saw several warships aligned in the harbour, rushing down to see what was happening.

"What's all this?" Talos asked, gesturing to the mighty array of warships as a soldier turned to face The Fake Unalaq, raising an eyebrow to his question.

"This is for your invasion of The Southern Water Tribe, Chief. You wanted to retake the south, remember? To 'Set them on the Righteous Path'?" The soldier asked as Talos' eyes widened, trying to keep his composure.

"Ah, yes, the invasion... I've changed my mind!" Talos told him, making the Soldier jump back in surprise.

"But Chief! We've been planning this for months! Why are you pulling out now!?" The soldier bewilderingly asked.

"Because invading the South is a foolish idea! We will leave them be!" Talos shouted to the soldier, frightening him into submission.

"As you say... Chief," The soldier replied as he left to inform the crew of the warships.

Talos paraded around The North Pole, meeting with a ship captain and Joseph.

"Excuse me, Ship captain?" Talos greeted them, gesturing with his right hand.

"Ah, Chief Unalaq! How are you?" Joseph curiously asked as he looked him up and down.

 _"He seemed... tall last time I saw him,"_ Joseph sceptically thought to himself

"Greetings, Joseph. I have a request for the two of you!" Talos replied as the Ship captain and Joseph both perked up, looking to The Fake Unalaq with a curious gaze.

"Ship Captain, I require you, a boat and a small platoon of soldiers to come with me to Republic City!" Talos formally told them.

"Republic City? Why? if I'm allowed to ask," The ship captain replied as they perched back in their posture.

"A Spiritual Disturbance has occurred and I need The Avatar's help!" Talos informed them, but Joseph walked towards The Fake Unalaq, their eyes locking as a light sweat broke on Talos' brow.

"Claire's at The White Lotus Compound, why not just go there?" Joseph curiously asked.

"I don't want to interrupt her training. And I'm sure Republic City is a place she will return to after her... victory over Amon," Talos replied as Joseph's eyes widened.

"How... do you know about that?" Joseph asked as a chill shivered down his spine.

"Word travels fast, Joseph. As for you: I wish for you to be the Stand in Chief whilst I'm gone, you're a natural leader, and I believe you're the best suited for the job!" Talos told him as he patted his shoulder with his right hand, Joseph softly scoffed at his comment.

"Alright, let Claire know I said 'hi' whenever you see her!" Joseph replied, waving goodbye to the Ship Captain and The Fake Unalaq.

"When do you want to move out, chief?" The ship captain asked.

"As soon as possible. We need to deal with these insane spirits quickly!" Talos replied as the ship captain began preparations for the journey whilst Talos looked out to the skies, softly chuckling to himself.

" _In due time. I will be The Avatar. Your time is running out... Claire,"_ Talos thought to himself as he closed his eyes.


	14. Beginning of the End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Kang's reconciliation and The Defenders of Republic City ready to fight, the time to Strike Back against Talos has begun, and Claire must find the Dao Sword of Avatar Kaishi with the help of Vaatu.

The Chaos swirls through the skies whilst Fire Lord Zuko looked up to it with worried scepticism, contemplating as Shu approached him from behind, clearing his throat to catch his attention.

"I've sent word for all members of The White Lotus to converge on The United Republic in order to combat whatever this threat is," Shu informed him, but Zuko remained silent for a moment as he thought to himself, turning his head to Shu.

"We may need more than just The White Lotus to deal with this," Zuko replied as he looked back to the sky, pulling his horn out from under his robes, pressing it to his lips and blowing into it, unleashing a deafening bellow as Shu plugged his ears, quizzically looking at the Fire Lord.

"Pardon me, my lord. But what was that?" Shu curiously asked as he unplugged his ears, but Zuko smirked, looking to the sky as the Shadow of Druk soared across the sky.

"You'll see," Zuko softly replied before Druk came into view, smacking down in front of the palace and worryingly gazing at Zuko.

"My word! You really do have a dragon!" Shu exclaimed as he wondrously gazed at Druk.

Zuko approached Druk, boosting himself up on jets of fire and landing on Druk's neck, taking hold of the reins.

"I promised to keep the existence of Dragons a secret, but our current situation may force me to break it," Zuko sombrely replied whilst Shu nervously looked up to the Fire Lord.

"My lord, are you sure you're able to fight?" Shu asked him, worried for Zuko's safety. But Zuko closed his eyes and smiled.

"If my Uncle and his friends can retake Ba Sing Se at their age, I'm sure my friends and I can take on whatever this threat is," Zuko reassuring Shu as the white lotus master let out a heavy sigh, hanging his head before raising it back up to look at Zuko.

"If you think you can, I will not stop you. Best of luck, Fire Lord!" Shu replied, bowing to Zuko as Druk flexed out his wings.

"I'll see you in Republic City, Shu!" Zuko told him as Druk took off into the skies, flying to the Southern Water Tribe.

Shu walked back into the Fire nation Palace, passing by the walls of past Fire Lords and into the War Room. Small fires illuminated the room whilst the Fire Lord's throne remained unlit, with Jin and Izumi stood together by the throne.

Izumi is the thirty-year-old daughter of Jin and the Fire Lord. Her long black hair styled into a topknot, and her eyes an olive green. She adorned herself with a crimson, gold-lined gown which draped just below her knees, and black baggy banks and maroon boots covered the lower part of her body.

"Has Zuko left already?" Jin asked, to which Shu nodded his head.

"Your husband intends to fight this threat alongside his friends, and I intend to join him shortly," Shu briefly explained as Jin let out a melancholy sigh whilst Izumi looked to both Jin and Shu.

"Is Dad going to be okay?" Izumi worryingly asked as Shu looked to the Fire Nation Princess, giving her a reassuring smile.

"Your father is a powerful man, I'm sure he'll be victorious!" Shu reassured her, perking his head up as he rolled his neck.

"As for me, I need to go change into something more battle appropriate, after my embarrassing loss in the tournament: I learnt that fighting in robes is not a good idea," Shu explained with a smile before departing from the war room, shortly followed by Jin and Izumi.

The Governors, Lin, Sky, Khana, Ty Lee, Zu and Li remained within Zu and Li's house. Most of them were resting, whereas the others remained awake, the tune of Sky's flute fluttering over them as the Chaos swirled outside the window.

"So... Zu, how is it that Li can... do what he does?" Khana curiously asked him as the Giant popped his head up, looking over to the Kyoshi Warrior with a tired gaze before shrugging at her question.

"I don't know, he's had Gai, Kaz and Kane for as long as I've known him," Zu replied as he looked over to the resting Li.

"But it doesn't matter why he's like that, he's my friend: and that's what really matters," Zu added as Khana softly smiled whilst Zu turned his attention to Lin and Hou.

"Say, Lin. Whatever happened to the Chief?" Zu asked her as Lin and Hou's heads perked up.

"I am the chief!" Lin sharply replied as Zu smiled.

"No offence, but your mother's the only Chief to me," Zu politely told her as Lin scoffed, smirking at the Giant.

"She retired shortly after Avatar Aang passed, I figured you'd remember that" Lin replied.

"I know that. But what happened to her after that? I haven't seen her since," Zu asked again.

"Mother went on a 'Journey of Enlightenment', although after raising us with... occasional 'help' from you, I can't blame her," Hou replied with a lamenting grin.

"Hey! I tried my best, all things considered," Zu retorted with a quick chuckle.

"Zu, your idea of help was to whisk her off to the tavern after we were asleep," Lin bluntly replied with her arms crossed.

"Everyone needs a drink now and then!" Zu dismissively argued as Lin and Hou shook their heads.

"It was tough raising two kids. Our father walked out on us shortly after we were born and mother rarely ever spoke of him," Hou added, lamenting over their upbringing.

"Never found out why, even after I set out into the Earth Kingdom to try finding him... ended up competing in the Earth Rumble though," Hou added, smirking about the thoughts of his time in the Earth Rumble.

"If I remember right, your father walked out because he didn't want kids, so when the Chief popped out a set of twins, he ran for the hills faster than an Air-bender," Zu informed them, shaking his head.

"So... why did mother never tell us that?" Lin asked, leaning over in her seated posture.

"If she had told you 'your father didn't want you' how would you have felt?" Zu asked, making Hou and Lin heavily sigh as they stared to the ground.

"... Good point, Zu," Hou sombrely replied.

"But, hey. At least you had your mother and me," Zu replied with a grin as Lin and Hou raised an opposing eyebrow to him.

"I would more say we had mother, and mother had _you_ ," Hou dismissively told the Giant as he slanted his eyes to the earth-bending governor.

"Anyway, shortly after mother's retirement, I sent a message to Hou, asking him to come back to Republic City," Lin added, smiling and nudging Hou.

"And with a recommendation from Lin, and enough votes, I became the Earth Governor," Hou replied.

"Considering you two would butt heads when you were younger, it's nice to see how you've grown," Zu told them with a smirk.

"It's rare, but some siblings can get along," Hou replied as he nudged Lin, the two smiling at each other whilst Zu smiled at them.

"Now that I think about it, what happened to Eamon? I haven't seen him since the tournament," Lin asked, wanting to know what happened.

"Eamon left for the Earth Kingdom, said something about 'Bringing Harmony to Ba Sing Se'," Zu nonchalantly replied as Lin and Hou's eyebrows worryingly raised.

"I hope he doesn't go pulling another Amon," Lin nervously replied.

"He promised he wouldn't, but if he does, I'll be sure to put him in his place!" Zu told them as he punched his palm.

"Haven't you lost to him three times already?" Hou curiously asked.

"In my defence, the first time he was a slippery... person..." Zu replied, looking around the room

"The second time I had no bending, and the second time I got distracted," Zu added, arguing his point whilst Hou and Lin smirked.

"Mother told me you were once a part of the Police Force," Lin told Zu. But he shrugged at her statement with a nonchalant grin.

"I used to be Sergeant Zu," Zu replied, fondly remembering his time as a Police Officer.

"So that's why you could metal-bend... what made you quit?" Lin asked, curious to hear Zu's story.

"To put it shortly, I got bored. Chief Beifong and I parted on good terms, even after I went into unorganized crime," Zu told them, smiling fondly at his memories with the Chief.

Sky's tune continued fluttering around the room as the others in the room began waking up, Hou frustratingly tapped his foot as his eyes fidgeted around the room.

"I can't stand this any longer!" Hou exclaimed, abruptly stopping Sky's tune as everyone watched him stand up, Lin quickly following and stopping him in his tracks.

"Where are you going!?" Lin asked as she stood before Hou, a look of adamant worry coming over her face.

"I'm going to give that Avatar Thief a piece of my fists!" Hou replied as he tried walking out, but Lin stopped him.

"You'll get yourself killed if you do!" Lin replied, trying to stop her brother.

"It'd be better than sitting around here doing nothing!" Hou told her, turning around to the others.

"Don't you agree?" Hou asked whilst the others looking to one another, some agreeing with Hou's statement.

"He's right... we aren't doing anything to help sat in here," Khana replied, standing up and walking over to Hou, standing beside him before Lin, much to her surprise.

"He's correct, Lin... but if we're going to stand up to Talos, we need to be coordinated," Jing replied, looking over to Sky and remembering his actions.

"And not run in alone," Jing added as Sky smirked, standing up and walking into the centre of the room.

"Yeah, I know, I know... we need a plan before we face him though, he's an Avatar, and we're a rag-tag group of benders and non-benders," Sky replied as they all sat around in a circle, beginning to devise their plan of attack.

"I say we attack in groups of four because if we all strike at once we'll just get in each other's way," Sky told them as he began breaking down the plan.

"Hou, Gao, Sheng and Jing, you'll be one team," Sky told them as he gestured to the Governors, each affirmatively nodding.

"Khana, Lin, Ty Lee and myself will be the second team," Sky told them as he gestured to the three ladies, each nodding to one another before returning their attention to Sky.

"Zu I want you to come and rescue us if things go south, and Li, we'll need you on medic duty if we survive," Sky told them whilst Zu and Li nodded to each other.

"We can do that," Zu affirmatively replied.

"And if we're lucky, reinforcements will show up. I don't know who, but after Talos' little display of power, I'm sure there are already armies converging on Republic City," Sky said, eagerly hoping he was correct.

"I wouldn't get your hopes up, Sky. Avatar Aang didn't want the United Republic having its own army," Lin dismally replied as Sky raised a quizzical eyebrow.

"Let me guess, something about 'being like the Air Nomads'?" Sky asked as Lin nodded.

"Something like that," Lin replied as Sky shook his head. The group continued their planning, making sure everyone was on the same page.

Whilst everyone began their plans of attack against Talos, Claire readied herself to set out into the Spirit World, standing within Iroh's tea shop and making sure she had everything she needed.

Claire stepped outside the Tea shop as the vibrant colours of the surrounding Spirit World filled her vision before turning to see Iroh and Xiong handing tea out to fellow spirits.

"Iroh, I'm leaving," Claire told him as the tea maker turned around after placing down a final cup of tea, approaching Claire with a tray under his arm.

"Is there anything I can give you for the journey?" Iroh asked, but Claire shook her head.

"I'll be fine, I just need to find an old Avatar Relic before I return," Claire told him as Iroh slowly nodded.

"It's been nice having you around, despite you being unconscious for most of it," Iroh jested as Claire smirked.

"Thank you for all your help!" Claire replied with a bow, Iroh smiling as Claire stood back up straight.

"Feel free to visit any time you want, in this life or the next," Iroh told her with a warm smile as Claire nodded, setting out into the Spirit World.

"Vaatu, do you know where Avatar Kaishi's tomb is?" Claire asked as a tiny Vaatu appeared on her left shoulder.

"From what I remember, it's the tomb where Raava sealed me away all those years ago!" The tiny Vaatu informed her whilst Claire raised an eyebrow at the tiny Vaatu's presence.

"Shouldn't you be, uh... inside me right now?" Claire curiously asked.

"This is but a mere fraction of my being, the rest is inside you," The tiny Vaatu replied as Claire lightly nodded, making her way for the Spirit Portal.

The light engulfed Claire, transporting her to The Nexus, letting out a heavy sigh as she gazed around the portals.

"I'm coming for you, Talos," Claire spoke, her voice riddled with a determination.


	15. Credits

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Credits for the story and Cover Art

Written by: Lightning189

Cover Art by: Dewfrost (Fiverr artist)


End file.
